A Prince's Past
by The Angry Black Woman
Summary: A person from Vegeta's past arrives with an interesting proposition, which involves Vegeta leaving his family on Earth. Meanwhile, Gohan is trying to decide what to do about his new feelings for Videl. *Chapter 11 - Complete*
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fanfic, so bare with me. Just to clear a few things up, Gohan and Videl are good friends, not together (yet...hehehe), she knows everything about Gohan, the dragonballs, Saiyans, blah blah blah, and she can fly and sense ki.   
  
Important  
indicates thoughts  
*...* indicates a flashback  
~...~ indicates mental communication through a bond  
(A/N:...) indicates any necessary (or unnecessary) author's note done by me  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. I only own, Zuki, and the little Saiyan girl who's name you'll find out later.   
  
  
  
  
Vegeta stood out on the balcony of his and Bulma's bedroom, deep in thought. Mostly, he thought about how much he'd changed since Future Trunks told them about the androids. In that time, he'd become "soft". He had a child, a wife, a happy home. It sickened him to think about how much of a human he was becoming. But lately, he had been ignoring those feelings, after all, Kakorrott, or Goku as he liked to be called, settled down and he was.... just maybe... the strongest person on the universe.   
  
  
  
Vegeta sighed as his thoughts drifted off to life on Planet Vegeta, his father, and another Saiyan child. He met her when he was 5...the day still stuck out in his memory...  
  
*Vegeta, the young Prince of the Saiyan Kingdom, listened at the door of his room. The door led to another one of the many rooms in the royal palace, in which his father, the almighty King Vegeta, and another Saiyan, General Zuki, were talking. However, another child's ramblings were ruining his concentration.   
  
"You really shouldn't do that, Prince Vegeta," a squeaky female voice said. She was the same height and age as Vegeta at the time, about 5 years old, and she wore armor similar to the armor Radditz wore when he came to Earth. Her hair was shoulder length and she wore silver earrings in her ears.   
  
"Don't tell me what to do, girl (A/N: Sound familiar)," Vegeta said. "I am Prince Vegeta! I answer to no one, especially a girl."  
  
The little girl rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out. "Yeah right. You know you'd jump if your father said so."  
  
Vegeta knew she was right and replied with a simple, "So!" He stuck his tongue right back her. "Don't you want to know what our dads are talking about too?"  
  
"Well, yes of course," she said, and hurried over to stand next to him. "But it's still wrong."  
  
The 5 year old Vegeta rolled his eyes.   
  
Behind the door  
"King Vegeta," Zuki said. Zuki was tall and slender with long black hair much like Brolly's before he went Super Saiyan. He wore armor similar to his daughter's. "I think that my daughter will be a fine mate for you the prince. She is the strongest female Saiyan alive at 5 years old, and she shows a lot of potential, her strength could double. She will serve the prince well. She'll be the perfect princess."  
  
"Well," King Vegeta pondered his proposal. "It's a good thought. She is the strongest the of the female Saiyans, and the strongest must stick together. She does have potential, I know, strength runs through her veins, I mean, you are the most decorated Saiyan general." Zuki smirked with pride at his last statement. "Ok.. It's a deal, Zuki. She will marry Vegeta on his 21st birthday."  
  
They shook hands, Zuki bowed in respect, and the King Vegeta nodded in response, telling him to be dismissed.   
  
In Vegeta's Room  
The children were shocked. They barely knew each other and they were already engaged to be married, at 5 years old! The little girl was pissed, but Vegeta didn't know what to think.   
  
The little girl thought.  
  
I have to be her mate? Vegeta glanced at the little girl. I guess she'll have to do.  
  
Soon, Zuki came in and drug his little girl out of the palace. Vegeta looked in their direction and noticed the little girl smiling at him. Vegeta turned away, and soon, they were out of the palace and on their way home.*  
  
"Vegeta?" Bulma asked, tapping his shoulder. "Hello? Earth to Veggie-head!"   
  
"Don't call me that, woman!" Vegeta shouted back, finally snapping out of his trance.   
  
Bulma smiled and asked, "What's wrong, Vegeta? What are you doing up?"  
  
"Nothing's wrong, woman, what do you take me for?" Vegeta asked.  
  
"Oh just come inside," Bulma said, tugging on the collar of his shirt.  
  
Vegeta moved her hand away. "Do not give me orders, woman!"   
  
Bulma sighed and went back to her room. Vegeta followed a couple seconds later, still thinking about that little girl and her smile.   
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Well, whatcha think? Please r/r. I won't continue until I get at least 5 reviews. I would also like to know if I spelled Kakorrott right and how old Vegeta was when he Planet Vegeta was destroyed, it would help me out a lot. If anyone knows, include in your review, k? Thanks. Luv ya. 


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter's much longer than the other one. Sorry if you hate long chapters and your welcome to those of you who do. I was gonna make y'all wait a little while longer, but one of my friends, Autumn, said she'd set me on fire if I didn't hurry up, (laughs) so, I decided to make her little impatient ass happy. Autumn, dis is 4 you! Also, I know some of the stuff was a little incomplete, but I was in a rush to get it posted and didn't bother to proofread it, I was getting pissed and having technically difficulties trying to get it posted and the symbol I had for thoughts didn't come up. Just to let you know, in my fic, Goku comes back for a month instead of a day and he won the Other World Tournament, it wasn't a tie between him and Pikon. Also, if you'd like to know as soon as the next chapter comes out, say so in your review and add your email address, I'll be sure to email you as soon as I post the next chapter.   
  
Special Thanks to Reviews from:  
trunkslover1  
Rainymalamute  
Jenihenpen  
Autumn  
Hannah  
  
You guys are great! You let me know I can write.   
  
~Important~  
-...- indicates thoughts  
*...* indicates a flashback  
(A/N:..) indicates any necessary (or unnecessary) Author's Notes by yours truly  
~...~ indicates mental communication through a bond  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ, just Zuki and the little girl who's name you still don't know in this chapter, but I promise you'll find out in the next one. Enough rambling, on with the story!  
  
  
  
  
Gohan watched Videl grow agitated at the sight of an incredibly long Algebra problem. He couldn't help but smile. It always amused him to see the way some people get terrified over math, especially since he learned all this stuff years ago. And the fact that he thought Videl was cute didn't help the smile to fade any.   
  
Videl leaned back in the chair of the desk in Gohan's room, staring at the book in front of her like it was in Arabic. She was trying to figure out why he told her the answer to the problem was 14, but it just wasn't coming to her. It was a Saturday afternoon and instead of training, which she normally did on Saturdays, Gohan had insisted on tutoring her in Algebra since her grade was on the verge of an F. How could she say no to a smiling Son Gohan?   
  
-Damn Gohan- she thought. -Why do you have to be so cute? And why the fuck is this answer 14?-  
  
Gohan heard Videl mumble something along the lines of Algebra being evil and decided to step in. "See, Videl," he said. "It goes like this..." He stopped mid-sentence, gazing into Videl's soft, blue eyes. Lately, when he was around her, she would make his stomach get funky feelings inside it and he would jumble his words together like he had his mouth full, and being as naive as he was, he couldn't understand why.   
  
"It goes like what?" Videl asked, a little irritated. She had noticed how weird he was acting lately and she was getting sick of it. "Gohan, are you ok?" When he didn't reply, she smacked him so hard it would've sent any normal person to the ground in pain, but of course Gohan was a special case.   
  
"Ouch, Videl," he said. "What was that for?"  
  
"To stop you from staring at me!" Videl shouted, putting the chair that she was leaning in down and standing up, getting in Gohan's face. "That's all you seem to be doing in these past couple days and I'm tired of it! What is your problem with that anyway?"   
  
"Well-I-uh..." Gohan stuttered. -There goes those damn blue eyes again-  
  
Just then, they heard Chichi scream from the kitchen and a bunch of pots and pans come crashing to the floor. Gohan and Videl ran into the kitchen as fast as they could to see what was wrong. Gohan's mouth flung open when he saw who had scared his mother.   
  
In the kitchen with Chichi was someone he hadn't seen in seven years, someone who he felt guilty about every time he was reminded of his death, the person who he wished was with them every time he has his little brother, Goten, smile. Right there, hugging a sobbing Chichi, was his father, Son Goku.   
  
"Sorry, Chichi," Goku said. "I didn't mean to scare you, I wanted it to be a surprise. Hey, Gohan! Wow, you're huge! You're taller than I am!"  
  
Gohan's eyes filled with tears as Videl watched in amazement. She had never seen Gohan cry before and she was wondering what was going on. She was confused to say the least.   
  
-Who is that guy hugging Gohan's mom and why is he crying?- she thought.   
  
"Oh, Goku," Chichi said, still crying. "I can't believe it. It's been 7 years. I missed you so much."  
  
"I missed you guys too, Chichi," Goku said, letting go of his wife. Then he turned to Gohan. "Well, are you just gonna stand there, or are you gonna give me hug?"  
  
That was all Gohan needed. He practically flew over to Goku and gave him a big Saiyan bear hug. He hugged him so hard, Goku's face turned blue.   
  
"Uh...Go...han...can't...breath..," Goku choked out.  
  
Gohan let go and scratched his head in typical Son fashion, then wiped the tears from his cheeks. "Sorry dad, I guess I don't know my own strength."  
  
-DAD?!- Videl thought. Now she was really confused. -Ok, I can handle him being half alien, I can handle him beating Cell, I can even handle the fact that he used to have a tail, which caused him to turn into a huge ape-monster when the moon shined, but this is absolutely ridiculous! His dad is dead, what the fuck in going on?-  
  
"Oh, yeah," Gohan said, pulling Goku towards Videl. "Dad, this is my friend, Videl. Videl, this is my dad, Son Goku."  
  
Goku held his hand out and Videl reluctantly accepted. This was just too weird of a concept for her mind to grasp. Hell, Algebra was better to understand that this!  
  
"Gohan," Videl whispered. "Remind me to ask you what the hell is going on later." Gohan nodded in response.   
  
"Friend, huh?" Goku said, smirking mischievously. "Don't you mean girlfriend?" He playfully poked his son in the side with his elbow, making his wife smile in the background, thinking of grandchildren.   
  
"Oh, Dende," Gohan said. "Not you too. Mom practically has us having her grandchildren and everybody else thinks we're more than friends, it's getting exhausting trying to convince people of this. I assure you, we're just friends, she's not my girlfriend."  
  
-Yet- Gohan and Videl both thought in unison.   
  
"Sure, buddy," Goku said. "Keep telling yourself that." Gohan sighed.  
  
"Hey, Gohan!" Chichi exclaimed, interrupting them. "Why don't we take your father to Capsule Corp. to pick up your...uh.....you know.."   
  
"My what?" Gohan asked, scratching his head in confusion, then the part about Capsule Corp. registered in his brain and he knew she was talking about Goten, who had spent the night with Trunks the night before. "Oh yeah! Ok, let's go!" He ran outside, and took off into the air towards Capsule Corp., with Goku carrying Chichi behind him and a still puzzled Videl behind them.  
  
Earlier at C.C. (Capsule Corp.)  
"Woman!" Vegeta screamed. "I told you I wanted rice and noodles for lunch, not peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! What do you take me for?! Some sort of chi-"  
  
"Well that's what Trunks and Goten wanted and I figured you wouldn't mind!" Bulma yelled back in his face, slamming a plate of about 500 sandwiches onto the table. "Take it or leave it, you royal pain in the ass!"  
  
Goten and Trunks giggled at the last comment, peanut butter all over their little faces. Vegeta sent them a glare that said, "Shut up or I will kill you, brats" and they quickly turned their attention back to their food.  
  
"Honestly, Vegeta," Bulma said as she washed dishes. "I don't know why I even bother. You are never satisfied with anything I do."  
  
~I was satisfied last night wasn't I?~ Vegeta said through their bond, making her blush a little.   
  
He crept up behind her and grabbed her by the waist, swinging her so that she was face to face with him. She gasped as he kissed her lightly on the lips, then he sat down to devour his food as if nothing happened. Bulma stood there dumbfounded as Trunks and Goten exchanged disgusted glances at the rare display of affection.   
  
-What the hell happened to Vegeta?- Bulma thought. -One minute he's screaming his ass off, and the next he's all nice. It's....scary.-  
  
~Don't question it woman, just be thankful.~  
  
After Vegeta got through eating, he went back to the Gravity Room to continue training, but he couldn't concentrate because his mind drifted back to that little girl. He wondered if Bulma noticed, since he was able to tap into her thoughts from time to time, but he figured she didn't know how, since she hadn't said anything to him yet and after all, she was "only human". This girl was driving him crazy. Why did she stick out in his brain so much after all that time? -It must have something to do with...-  
  
*The young Prince of the Saiyans leaned against a wall, arms crossed, the usual scowl plastered across his face. It was a 6th birthday and his father had organized a humongous party for him, but he hated it. -Why do I have to be with all these inferior Saiyans anyway?-  
  
Among the great amount of kids was Bardock's son, Radditz, Nappa, and his mate-to-be, who was sitting in a corner, alone, playing with her tail. It confused him a little bit, he had met her a couple more times since they found out they would be married when he turned 21 and he had never known her to be shy. Something had to be on her mind.   
  
Little Radditz and Nappa approached the female Saiyan. "Hi, freak," Nappa said.   
  
Without looking up, she replied, "I'm not a freak," very calmly.  
  
"Yes you are!" Radditz replied. "I saw you do things with your mind, you are a freak!"  
  
Tears pricked her eyes as the two kids began to throw every insult their 6 year old minds could think of. She was tired of the teasing, it had happened too many times, she was getting very angry. Her earrings started to blink red and she started to tremble she was so mad. But she couldn't control it anymore, her earrings broke and her whole body started to glow red as she slowly levitated into the air. She lifted up her eyes, and to the boys horror, they were glowing red also.   
  
"Enough!" she shouted. Her voice had gotten deeper, making her sound possessed. (A/N: Think "The Exorcist".)  
  
"Let's get outta here!" Nappa shouted as he started to run, dragging Radditz with him, and making all the other kids that came stop playing and stare in horror. But they didn't get too far, the little girl used her telekinesis to bring them back to her.   
  
"You will pay for what you have done to me," she said, and she smiled evilly at the looks on their faces.  
  
She began to bang their bodies against each other repeatedly, making blood drip from their noses. She smiled as her ki rose drastically from the pleasure of their pain. She flung them at the wall, making them cry out in pain, and once again her ki rose. They tried desperately to run away, but she brought them back in front of her and stripped them of their clothes, making the other kids shocked expressions turn into laughter. She decided it was enough, and dropped them back to the floor.   
  
"That'll teach you to never mess with the daughter of General Zuki," she said.   
  
Radditz and Nappa still cried out in pain, making the girl flip her head back and laugh demonically, her voice still deep, and her ki continuing to rise.   
  
-Wow...- Vegeta thought -That was..........AWESOME! She'll be a great mate after all.-  
  
King Vegeta heard all the commotion and burst into the room. What he saw horrified him. Not only were two kids writhing in pain on the floor naked, but there was the little girl he had promised to his son glowing and levitating off the ground laughing, sounding like a devil. He noticed her earrings on the floor in pieces and immediately knew what happened.   
  
The girl stopped laughing and saw the King in front of her. Her devilish appearance quickly faded as she lowered herself to the ground. She put her head down in shame, sensing that that day would be her last....*  
  
Vegeta's thoughts were interrupted by Bulma's bloodcurdling scream coming from the living room. Fearing the worse, Vegeta turned off the gravity machine and ran down the long hallway towards the living room.  
  
~Woman, what's wrong?~ he demanded.   
  
~Nothing, Veggie-head, just come here!~   
  
Ignoring the Veggie-head comment, he continued his pursuit to his wife. When he got there, he saw a certain blue haired woman embracing another man.  
  
~Woman, what the..~ He stopped when he saw that it was Goku.   
  
"Kakarot (A/N: Thanks for the spelling Hannah!)?" He said, bewildered. "What the fuck are you doing here? Aren't you dead?"  
  
"Well nice to see you too, Vegeta," Goku said sarcastically after Bulma let go of him.   
  
Hearing all the commotion, Goten and Trunks came in to see what was going.   
  
"Is that little Trunks?" Goku said, amazed. "Last time I saw you, you were just a baby, now look at you."  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes. "Who's this weirdo?" he asked his father as he leaned against the same wall Vegeta had made himself comfortable on, frowning in the same manner and crossing his arms.   
  
Goku laughed at how much they were alike. "Like father, like son."  
  
"Answer my question already!" Vegeta asked, impatiently.   
  
"Yeah, dad," Gohan said. "You never really told us how you were able to come back."  
  
-Dad?- Goten thought, bemused. -I thought our daddy was dead?-  
  
"Ohhhh yeah!" Goku said. "Well, I won the tournament in the Other World and I've been whining constantly about missing all of you, so King Kai pulled some strings and I get to stay on Earth for a whole month."  
  
"Aww...," Gohan said, disappointedly. "Only a month. That sucks."  
  
"Yeah, but at least I get to see you at all," Goku said, putting an arm around his oldest son. "Hey, what did you have to pick up?"  
  
Chichi walked over and grabbed a nervous Goten's hand and brought him before Goku. "This is what we had to pick up. Goku, this is your son, Goten."  
  
"MY SON?!" Goku exclaimed, making Goten hide behind his mother in fright. "Well, he does look exactly like me." He crounched down and grabbed Goten's hand, pulling him out from behind Chichi. "Hey little guy? Don't be afraid. I'm your dad, I won't hurt you."  
  
Goten looked down at his feet, still unsure if he should trust him.   
  
"C'mon," Goku said. "You don't believe me?"  
  
"It's ok, Goten," Gohan said. "He's a good dad. Trust me."  
  
That was all the reassurance Goten needed. He leapt on Goku, making him fall backwards. Everyone started laugh, except Vegeta of course, who was still deep in his thoughts about the little girl with so much power.   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
End of chapter 2. Did you like it? Please review. This isn't really relevant, but did anyone notice where I got Zuki's name from? A zucchini. I promise the little girl's name will be revealed next chapter. Thanks to all who liked it. I luv ya all. 


	3. Chapter 3

Hey, everybody! Sorry it took awhile to get this chapter out, I've been having writer's block and homework and Sunday was my birthday so I had to celebrate. I wouldn't even have posted it today if my friend Autumn would've kept that torch put away. Lol. I was also kind of depressed because I only 3 reviews for the last chapter, but at least 3 people like it, and I'm keeping it alive for them. And remember in the last chapter it was a Saturday.   
  
Special Thanks to reviews by:  
Autumn  
Flareon0301/Saiyan Cat  
Rainymalamute  
  
~Important~  
-.....- indicates thoughts  
~....~ indicates mental communication through a bond  
*....* indicates a flashback  
(A/N:....) indicates any necessary (or unnecessary) author's notes by yours truly.   
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill, I don't own DBZ. I own the Saiyan girl (who's name will be identified at the end of the chapter) and Lucy. You'll find out who she is when that part comes. Anyway, on with the story!  
  
  
  
  
Later that day, Bulma started to plan a proper party to welcome Goku back to Earth. Chichi assisted her with the food, her area of expertise, while Bulma did the decorations.   
  
They invited everybody, Krillin, 18, Marron, Yamcha, Puar, Roshi, Oolong, Piccolo and even Videl. They felt like she was part of the family now, as well as she did, since she spent almost all of her free time with Gohan when they weren't in school, either doing homework, sparring (which Gohan always let her win), or just talking about their hopes, dreams, and secrets of their past that hadn't been revealed to anyone before. He had grown to be her best friend, which was creepy to her since every boy at Orange Star High appeared completely repulsive in her eyes. But what bemused (A/N: I like that word....bemused.... it's so much easier than saying confused all the time...ok...I'm done now..) her the most was the feeling she got when she was with him, when he spoke, or even when she just heard his name, that fluttery feeling her stomach that annoyed the hell out of her. She had vowed to never sink so low as to being one of those lovesick, pathetic girls with a crush, who are drooling over them one minute and sulking in sadness the next because they broke their hearts. Sure it annoyed her, but she wasn't going to ignore it, she couldn't, the feeling was just too strong to ignore. But just because she accepted it, didn't mean that she'd act on it, not yet anyway (A/N: *hint hint*).  
  
The day of the party finally came and it was a great success. There were mountains of food, enough to feed 5 hungry Saiyan appetites of course. The living room of Capsule Corp. was decorated in blue and silver streams and balloons, courtesy of Ms. Bulma Briefs. There was a long, blue banner hanging above the couch that read: WELCOME BACK GOKU in bold, silver letters.   
  
Everyone arrived on time, except for Videl, who ran into some thieves on the way and had to kick some ass. She had worn her hair down for once and wore black stretch pants and a black V-neck shirt, but they had been ruined during the fight.   
  
"Sorry....I'm....late," she said, panting, as Bulma opened the door. She had ran all the way there in fear of being late, but it didn't help. Her clothes were full of dirt and dust, her right pant leg had a huge rip in it, one of her sleeves had ripped off, and her hair was horribly out of place. There a slight scratch on her cheek and a couple of bruises, but nothing major. To put it simply....she looked like shit.   
  
Gohan pushed his way through to Videl, knocking Bulma aside and said, "Videl, are you ok?" as he gently placed his hand on the cheek that was scratched, making her smile at how concerned he was.   
  
"I'm good, Gohan," Videl said. "It's not like they were Saiyans or anything, they were no match for me." She smiled wide with pride, in a Vegeta-like manner.   
  
"Is that why your clothes look like you've been mud wrestling?" he said, subconsciously straightening out her disheveled hair, earning a snicker and a few grins from everyone inside who were watching intently at the cute little scene.   
  
"Gohan, it's ok," Videl said, slowly moving his hands off of her. "I know it looks like more than that, but that's only because the girl couldn't fight and started clawing and jumping at me like a cat...stupid bitch..."  
  
"Are you su-," Gohan started.  
  
"Oh just shut up and come in, or proclaim your undying love for the brat!" Vegeta shouted, interrupting him. "I'm getting sick to my stomach watching this soap opera bullshit!"   
  
That comment earned a smack from Bulma. Vegeta turned to her to protest, but she glared at him, a look that told him that if he uttered another word on the subject that he'd have to face horrible consequences...horrible consequences meaning no gravity room.   
  
Gohan blushed violently when he realized that he'd just made a fool of himself. He moved out of the doorway so that Videl could get in, only to see a bunch of half smiling and staring faces looking closely at the pair of teens.   
  
"C'mon, Videl," Bulma said, grabbing her wrist. "I'll get you some clean clothes to change into." She turned to the still staring Z-gang. "As for you guys, enjoy yourselves, eat or whatever. Stop staring, this is a party!"   
  
With that everyone broke out of their trances and proceeded to either eat or talk. Of course the Saiyans were at the front of the line to scoop up any food that they could, except for Gohan, who leaned against the door and let out a deep sigh.  
  
- Great, I've just made a total ass out of myself! What's my problem lately? All I seem to do is think about her, and when I do my stomach feels like it's doing gymnastics. When I see her hurt I just can't help my anger, I always have the sudden urge to stomp a mud hole in whoever-did-it's ass! What's wrong with me? Do I like her... nah, that can't be it. Videl's like my sister, it's feels like incest to think about her that way. But lately....she always looks so beautiful...and her eyes.....Ahhhhhhh! Help!-  
  
Goku looked over at his son, his head clutched in her hands like he was bewildered beyond repair. He grabbed a chicken leg and left the rest of his food foolishly unattended, for as soon as his back was turned, a very hungry Vegeta quickly gobbled it down, and walked over to his son.   
  
"Hey, Gohan," Goku said with his mouth full. "What's the problem, son?"  
  
Gohan looked up and replied, "It's nothing dad, really."  
  
"You really like her don't you?" Goku said once his chicken leg was fully devoured and chewed.   
  
"How'd you guess?" Gohan said, a little worried that more people would know his secret. "Is it that obvious?"  
  
"Well, let's just say father's know these things. So what's the problem, Gohan?"  
  
"I don't know...I'm confused. Videl and I are so close of friends we're like brother and sister...but lately..." He sighed and added, "Being a teenager is so difficult."  
  
Goku laughed and said, "It sure is. But don't worry about it, Gohan. If you like her, tell her. What's the worse that could happen?"  
  
"That she doesn't feel the same way," Gohan said, somberly.   
  
"True, but it can't be any worse than keeping it bottled up inside, now can it?"  
  
"You've got a point, dad, thanks."  
  
Goku put a hand on his son's shoulder and said, "No problem. What are dad's for? Now c'mon, perk up. Come get some food before Vegeta, Trunks, and Goten eat it all."  
  
Gohan smiled and followed his father so that he could grab as much food as he could before it was all gone.   
  
At about 2:00 a.m., the Briefs and Sons were still absorbed in conversation about the good old days, except for Vegeta, of course, who had excused himself earlier to go to bed and a sleeping Trunks and Goten. They were so absorbed in conversation that they hadn't noticed that Videl and Gohan had snuck out to the humongous backyard of C.C. (Capsule Corp.). They laid on the cool grass and stared at the stars, well, what they could see behind the trees and various buildings.   
  
"Gohan?" Videl said, her eyes still focused on the sky.   
  
"Yeah, Videl," Gohan replied.   
  
"Don't you....ever think about..... you know....having a girlfriend someday?" Videl asked.  
  
"Well....yeah....sometimes....why do you asked?" Gohan said.   
  
"I just wanted to know. You never talk about things like that."  
  
"Well of course I think about that kind of stuff, about having girlfriends, getting married someday, having kids...who doesn't?"  
  
"Do you have someone in mind?"   
  
"Well..." - Ok, how should I respond to this....oh just tell her the truth- "Yeah, I guess you could say that."  
  
"Who," Videl said, finally turning to face him, her eyes showing her eagerness to know who he was talking about, secretly hoping it was her.  
  
"I don't want to give a name...I'll be embarrassed," Gohan said.   
  
"Oh, c'mon, this is me we're talking about. It's no big deal."  
  
"Yeah right. It's not as easy as it seems."  
  
"Why? Is she ugly for something? Do I know her?"  
  
"Oh no, she's everything but ugly...far from ugly..." Gohan's mind drifted to images of the dark-haired beauty next to him, making a smile cross his face and his eyes glisten with visible happiness.   
  
"Well, do I know her?" Videl asked, impatiently. Remember, this is Videl Satan, you can't keep her waiting too long.   
  
"Well, I guess you could say that."  
  
"Well, tell me! The suspense is killing me!"   
  
Now more than ever she hoped with every fiber of her being that he liked her as much as she liked him. In her mind, it was probably unlikely, but she still kept her hopes up. Her face showed her feelings inside but of course the innocent, naive Gohan didn't pick up on this.  
  
- Ok,- he thought. - This is it...It's now or never. I'll just come right out and tell her how I feel, I'll be relieved when I do. But what if she doesn't feel the same way, I'll just die inside.- He sighed. - It's like dad said, it can't feel any worse than keeping it bottled up inside. Oh screw it, I can't do this...no, I have to..-  
  
"Hello, Earth to Gohan! Anything in there?" Videl said, knocking Gohan's forehead.   
  
"Huh?" he said, snapping out of his mental argument. "Oh, sorry, Videl. I just don't know if I can tell you who it is."  
  
"Oh, Gohan, it's just me. You tell me everything else, why can't you just tell me this?"  
  
Their eyes met and it was all over. Those blue eyes of hers that he'd grown to love over the past few months had met his black ones and he melted. He made his decision.   
  
"Ok, Videl, it's...uh....uh....Lucy....Lucy from Algebra class."   
  
As soon as the words escaped his mouth he regretted every word. Videl was crushed inside. Her heart felt like it had been ripped out, stomped on, put back in, and ki blasted until it disintegrated, leaving her nothing but a few other meaningless organs that didn't help in keeping her alive. A lump began to form in her throat, making it difficult to speak.   
  
"Lucy, huh?" Videl said, her voice cracking. "Wow, I didn't think you liked her. You're really good at keeping secrets, aren't you?"  
  
She couldn't believe it, Lucy of all people. She was about the same height as Videl, same color eyes and hair, only they didn't act in the same demeanor. Videl was tomboyish while Lucy was your typical teenage girl, a ditzy, preppy, blonde only with black hair. Videl wore loose fitting clothes while Lucy wore the most provocative attire. Lucy was one of the dumbest girls Videl had ever seen, she made Erasa look like a genius! Videl felt the sudden urge to kill the little bitch for stealing her dream guy's heart, but, instead she made a more friendly approach...an unlike Videl approach.   
  
- Well, if I can't be with Gohan, I want him to at least be happy, even with that dumb ass bitch.-  
  
"How about I set you guys up on a date or something?" Videl said, faking a smile.   
  
"A date?" Gohan replied, in a surprised mixed with fear tone. "I don't know, Videl."  
  
"Why not? What's the worse that could happen?"  
  
Once again he met those eyes of hers and was defeated again. He just couldn't say no to her.   
  
"Sure," he said, reluctantly. "I guess so."  
  
"Cool," Videl said, still smiling that fake smile. "I'll see what I can do tomorrow at school."  
  
- Why the hell did I say that? I'm so stupid..- she thought.   
  
"GOHAN!" Chichi called from inside the house, making Gohan's sensitive ears ring in pain. "We're leaving, honey!"  
  
"I guess I gotta go," Gohan said, getting up and then helping Videl up. "Do you want me fly with you to your house?"  
  
"No, that's ok," Videl said. "I'm kind of tired. I'm going to take my jet copter."  
  
She pulled out a capsule and dropped it to the ground, creating a big puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared she stepped into her copter.   
  
"Bye, Gohan," she said before she closed the door and started the ignition.  
  
Gohan waved to her as she took off into the air, and when she was out of sight he smacked himself.   
  
"I'm such an idiot."  
  
Meanwhile, in C.C.  
Vegeta was having trouble sleeping. His dreams were clouded with images of the little girl he was supposed to marry, of her special powers, his father, Frieza, every frightening aspect of his childhood. This was the 5th night in a row that this happened and he was tired of it.   
  
He woke up in a cold sweat, wanting to scream because he was so angry. Every desire to become a cold blooded killer again rose to the surface and his Saiyan blood boiled in delight at the memory of the adrenaline rush he experienced with each killing. He hated himself for what he had become and he longed for the old ways again. He took the dreams as a sign that he should just get up and leave, but as he was sitting up, a certain blue-haired woman rolled over in her sleep, facing him. Her innocence and peacefulness immediately vanished his angry mood. He smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist, waking her up.   
  
"Wh- What's wrong, Vegeta," Bulma stammered, sleepily.   
  
"Nothing, Bulma, go back to sleep," Vegeta whispered.   
  
She slowly started to close her eyes again but they quickly popped back open when she realized what he had called her.  
  
- Did he just call me by my name?-  
  
Somewhere, miles away from C.C.  
Out in the distance, a space pod came crashing down to Earth, forming a 6 feet deep crater. The door flung open and woman with shoulder length black hair, charcoal, black eyes, and silver earrings emerged. She looked at her surroundings disappointedly.   
  
- Looks like I've made a miscalculation. I wanted to get here in the morning.-  
  
She concentrated on finding the ki of the person who held her purpose for coming to Earth, but she couldn't find it.   
  
- Wow, I'm way off. I can't even feel his ki. Oh well, I'll just find him in the morning.-  
  
She laid down beside her ship, still looking around in disgust.   
  
- So this is Earth, huh? I'm disappointed. I figured Earth should be more lavish and glamorous than this. But, I have to remember, this is a planet of inferior humans, how exciting can it be? I don't understand why he wanted to be here in the first place, but I guess he has his reasons.-  
  
She closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep, but once again she was disturbed by a recurring dream she'd been having since she was 5 years old, a dream which contained pictures of her father's horrible death under the hands of King Vegeta, of her planet's horrible destruction, of so many kids teasing her, and of that day that was the cause of the person she was now, an assassin with so many perished planets under her belt.   
  
She awoke with tears in her eyes, not just tears of sadness, but tears of anger and frustration as well. Her ki rose dramatically as her earrings began to blink red. She levitated of the ground a few inches, clenching her fists so hard blood ran down her knuckles. She looked down at her fists and began to scream, her ki still rising. Her eyes turned the demonic shade of red they had become many times before, and a red aura began to encircle her body, making her rise into the air even more. But suddenly she was reminded of her sole purpose for being on this planet, and she began to calm down, just seconds before her earring were about to break. She returned to the ground and to her normal appearance. She let go of her clenched fists and as she watched the blood trickle down to the dirt, she cried once again. She was tired of living her life this way and she hoped seeing him would change her destiny.   
  
At C.C.  
The next morning, Vegeta decided to skip training and find another way to occupy his time, since his concentration was always broken when he was training. He wanted to find a way to get that girl off of his mind, and the only alternative he could think of was to spend the day with Bulma.  
  
He followed her around while she did Capsule Corp. related jobs, asking her questions like, "What's that?", "Why do you have to do that?", and "How long does it take?", he followed her when she did house work, asking questions like, "Why do you have to clean this?", Where does this go?," and "How long does it take to clean this?", and he followed her while she cooked and asked her questions like, "Is it supposed to look like that?", "Why does it smell like that?", and "How long does it take to cook that?" (A/N: That was a long ass sentence!). By noon, Bulma snapped.   
  
"Oh my Dende, Vegeta!" She screamed. "I can't take this anymore! I love all the attention you've given me lately, but you're driving me crazy with all these questions!"  
  
Vegeta stepped back a bit, a little surprised at her tone, and said, "Well, excuse me, woman! I was just trying to see what you do all day, that's all. I was just curious!"  
  
"I know, Vegeta, but there's a difference between being curious and annoying!"  
  
Vegeta grunted and walked towards the front door. Bulma hurried in front of him.  
  
"Are you feeling ok, Veggie-head?" she asked, slipping her arms around his waist.   
  
"I'm fine, woman, and for the last time, don't call me that!" Vegeta screamed in her face, moving her out of his way so that he could get out the house.  
  
"Well, stop calling me woman!" Bulma shouted back as he slammed the door. She sighed and went back to cooking. "I just don't know what to do with him."  
  
Vegeta sat out on the front porch with his head in his hands, his blue gi blowing in the wind (A/N: Think of what he was wearing during the tournament.) as well as his spiky hair.   
  
-What's wrong with me? Why do I keep thinking about her after all these years? I feel as if that chapter in my life has not been closed. But how do I close it?-  
  
"Prince Vegeta?" a familiar female voice said.   
  
He wondered who in the hell would be calling him "prince" here on earth, especially a female. He looked up and his facial expression had totally changed. He looked as if he'd seen a ghost.   
  
- This can't be who I think it is- he thought.   
  
- It is, my prince. It is I.-  
  
Vegeta looked even more confused to hear her voice in his head. She smirked in Vegeta-like manner to see his expression.   
  
"It's impossible..." Vegeta said, half to himself.   
  
"But it's not, my prince. It's me, Kumberelle."   
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
So, how'd you like this chapter? Please review! P-p-p-please do it for me! Betcha can't guess where I got, Kumberelle from, can ya? A cucumber! As for Lucy, well, as you know, Videl is devil scrambled up, and since Lucy looks like Videl, I used Lucy as the feminine form of Lucifer, the angel that eventually became the devil. I'm so clever, aren't I? Well, have a nice day, and don't forget to review or else Autumn will light ya'll on fire! 


	4. Chapter 4

Ok, I'm really getting pissed about the lack of reviews. And I've noticed my author's notes are really long so I'll get straight to points: REVIEW. REVIEW. REVIEW. And also, I don't know what happened to Trunks' tail so I made something up. You'll see later.   
  
~Remember~  
-....- indicates thoughts  
~...~ indicates mental communication through a bond  
*...* indicates a flashback  
(A/N:...) indicates any necessary (or unnecessary) Author's Notes by yours truly   
  
Special Thanks To Reviewers:  
Autumn  
Flareon0301/Saiyancat  
  
Disclaimer: I only own Kumberelle, her parents, and Lucy, spawns of my sick and twisted imagination.  
  
  
  
Vegeta sat, dumbfounded, still staring at the woman in front of him like she was a ghost. This couldn't be the same Kumberelle with the massive power, could it?   
  
She did look like her, every feature was the same. Her hair had the same sheen and length. Her obsidian eyes had the same glare plastered in them and she still had the same shiny, silver earrings in her ears. The only visible changes in her was her height, the feminine features that she developed over time, and the gi that she was wearing. It was black and resembled Vegeta's blue one that he was wearing at the current time (A/N: The same one he wore to the tournament). Her tail wasn't wrapped around her waist as it usually was, but was moving gracefully behind her. She crossed her arms, eagerly awaiting for him to say something else.   
  
"It can't be you," Vegeta said at last. "I thought you perished with our planet."  
  
Kumberelle shook her head, sighed, and said, "I was afraid you'd say that. Did you really think the daughter of the honorable General Zuki could die simply from the pitiful destruction of a planet."   
  
She smirked at her last statement in remembrance of her father's achievements on the battlefield.   
  
Vegeta copied her smirk and said, "I guess I should've known." He stood up to face the woman who still matched his short stature and added, "But how did you manage to survive? Only a select few just happened to be elsewhere when the planet was destroyed."  
  
"Yes," she replied. "I know. You, Radditz, and Nappa were on Frieza's ship and Kakarott had been sent to destroy this pathetic excuse for a planet. I see he has failed. That fool. He's gotten weak."  
  
Vegeta's smirk took over his lips once again. He was beginning to like this girl, er, woman. These two were too alike for they're own good.   
  
"How'd you know?" He asked, curiously.   
  
"I'll get to that later, my prince," Kumberelle said. "But I'm sure you'd like to know how I knew to find you here, how I knew you were still alive, and many other questions. My appearance has to be a surprise to you, it has been awhile."   
  
- Damn- Vegeta thought. - It's like she can read my thoughts.-  
  
- I can.- Kumberelle sent her thought to his mind, scaring him once again.   
  
"What the hell are you?!" Vegeta demanded.  
  
"I'll get to that later too." she replied.  
  
Her tail wrapped around her waist as she let out a long sigh. She had prepared to answer questions, but she really didn't want to. It was so hard to dwell on the past, she'd had some traumatizing events occur during her lifetime, all of which haunt her in her dreams every night. But, if she really wanted Vegeta to agree to her proposition, she'd have to tell him everything.   
  
"The best way for you to know everything that you want to know," she began. "would be for you to read my thoughts."  
  
"Read your-" Vegeta started.   
  
"Put your hand on my shoulder," she said, interrupting him.   
  
He stretched out his arm and obediently put his hand on her shoulder as she closed her eyes.   
  
"Now, concentrate on me."  
  
Vegeta closed his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could on Kumberelle. Not long after, his mind was clouded with blurry images that flashed in his mind like a strobe light, making him flinch. A few seconds later, the memory that she wanted him to know became clear.   
  
*A three year old Kumberelle stared in horror as her mother was being slowly slaughtered by Frieza. Her mother, Ruda, was a slave of Frieza's who'd ran away 5 years before with Zuki. She was a third class Saiyan, so her power level was pitiful, that's why King Vegeta wasn't enthusiastic in stopping the fact that Frieza had captured her, thus, Zuki had pretended that Ruda wasn't his mate. Now, Frieza had gotten a hold of Ruda and her family as they were on their way to the Saiyan Marketplace and had pinned them in an abandoned alley.   
  
General Zuki had tried to stop him, but Frieza had knocked him out against the wall, leaving a scared three year old to watch her mother get killed.   
  
"That. Will. Teach. You. To. Dis-o-bey. Me." Frieza said, sending a ki blast her way with every syllable.   
  
"Please," Ruda, pleaded. "Don't hurt my little girl. Kill me if you want, but don't hurt her."  
  
Ruda leaned over and coughed up blood, tears streaming down her face as she looked at her frightened daughter crouched in a corner, sobbing and clutching her tail.   
  
Frieza, in his second transformation, turned and looked at Kumberelle and turned on his scouter to examine her power level. It read 190, a lot for a three year old.   
  
"Hmmm," he said. "She'll make a good slave."  
  
Ruda was about to beg him not to, but was cut off by another ki blast, the last blast he needed to kill her.   
  
Kumberelle was now fuming. She began to rise, her ki crackling like red thunder around her as it began to rise.  
  
Frieza turned away from the limp female at his feet to the little girl now eye to eye with him. His scouter began to beep as her power went up.   
  
"290," he began, as he read his scouter in awe. "340. 460. 580. 700! Impossible!"  
  
Kumberelle started to breath heavily as her demonic side completely took over and her voice was deep as ever as she said, "Obviously it's not impossible, you fag!"   
  
"But, you're a monkey!"  
  
That set her off. She used her mind to levitate him off of the ground and threw him into a wall. The annoying sound of his scouter annoyed her, so she sent a ki blast to destroy it. Then, she sent a barrage of ki blasts at him, so many that they were hard for him to block. With every scream her power rose, making her saiyan blood crave for more pain.   
  
She stopped to examine him. He was still alive, damn!   
  
She scanned the alley for something to end his life with, something that would bring more pleasure into the kill than repeatedly bashing him with ki blasts. She came across a knife.   
  
-How convenient.- she thought, as she picked it up with her telekinesis.   
  
"Oh shit," Frieza said as he saw the devious look in her eye.  
  
She began to jab the knife into his right leg violently.   
  
"That. Will. Teach. You. To. Dis-o-bey. ME!" she said, imitating what he'd said to her mother as he blasted her, emphasizing the "me."  
  
But soon, the power rise was too much for her and she collapsed to the ground, her appearance changing back to normal.   
  
Frieza scurried off like the little bitch that he is, muttering something about crazy monkeys and strange powers.   
  
Zuki, who'd regained consciousness just as his daughter transformed, and King Vegeta, who'd arrived shortly after, stared in awe at the place where Ruda would have been if the last blast hadn't deteriorated her, the little girl who'd avenged her death, and at each other. They both decided that something had to be done about her.   
  
One week later  
King Vegeta sat at the head of his round table in his palace, constantly eyeing the little girl that wasn't far from him, not once paying attention to Zuki, who was desperately trying to convince him to not harm Kumberelle. She seemed to be normal now, sitting quietly, ruffling the fur on the end of her tail, and not the demonic creature with an incredible thirst for pain that he'd seen once before. King Vegeta didn't want her to live anymore, whether it was because of paranoia that she'd turn on their race or if it was because a peace agreement might be over before it started, no one knows.   
  
"Stop your senseless rambling!" he commanded, shutting Zuki up immediately. "It's not like a true warrior to grovel."  
  
Zuki put his head down and replied, "I'm sorry, sir."  
  
King Vegeta grunted and said, "I will take pity on you and your daughter. But if this happens again, you will be exiled from the planet. Do you understand?"  
  
Zuki nodded, feeling 100% better than he had when he stepped into the palace.   
  
"I suggest you do something about that power of hers," King Vegeta added. "Or something much more catastrophic might happen."  
  
"Already taken care of, sir."  
  
Zuki motioned for his daughter to come by his side. She came over reluctantly, her head down. Zuki gently lifted up her head and pointed to the shiny, silver earrings in her ears.   
  
"The earrings will serve as a power restrainer," Zuki said. "I had the best scientist on the planet make them for me."  
  
King Vegeta nodded in approval and said, "Now, get out of my presence!"   
  
Zuki quickly scooped up his daughter and was out of the King's presence almost instantly after he spoke. Neither one of them wanted to cross the King anymore than they needed.*  
  
Kumberelle fluttered her eyes open, unable to hold the mental connection she'd shared with Vegeta any longer. Vegeta opened his eyes, took his hand off of her shoulder, and continued to stare at her, the way he had when she first came. It was so much to comprehend at once.   
  
He blinked twice before he spoke, "So, your mother was a slave of Frieza's?"  
  
She nodded in response.  
  
He blinked some more and scratched his head. A million questions ran through his mind, so many that he wasn't sure which to ask. It was like running water in a glass, it can only hold so much until it gets full and overflows. He decided to ask the one that annoyed him the most, although he wasn't sure if she'd know the answer or not. Never hurts to try.   
  
"If my father was so afraid, paranoid, or whatever about your power, then why did he agree on our betrothal?"   
  
"Good question. I'm not sure. Maybe he honestly felt that my power would be restrained forever, but, we both know that's not true."   
  
Vegeta smirked in remembrance of her outburst on Radditz and Nappa. It was an extremely funny sight to him. Then he asked, "What did happen after my father found out what you'd done to those fools?"  
  
Kumberelle sighed and turned around, hiding the tears that were beginning to form, irritating her eyes. Crying was the one thing that she hated to be seen doing, like all Saiyans, especially sense "true warriors aren't supposed to cry."   
  
"I hate to admit it," she said. "But certain memories like this give me foolish emotions and it's difficult to express it in words. I hate those emotions, those HUMAN emotions."  
  
Vegeta put his hand on her shoulder in response, and soon they were back in the land of Kumberelle's memories.   
  
*King Vegeta sat at his throne, angry, while Kumberelle sat at the stairs leading up to it. Vegeta, the prince, leaned against a wall, eagerly awaiting the outcome of Kumberelle's assault on Radditz and Nappa. King Vegeta shot him a glare, telling him instantly to get the hell away and out of earshot, and of course, he did.   
  
Soon, Zuki came running in towards his daughter. He noticed that she didn't have her earrings anymore and he immediately went into a mental panic.   
  
- I can't take this! I can't be banished from the planet! My whole life is here! What could have possessed her to do this?-  
  
"Apparently your restraining device doesn't work as well as you thought," King Vegeta said, anger evident by his tone. "I told you what the penalty was, didn't I?"  
  
"But I had to do something," Kumberelle said. "They were teasing me, and I get so tired of the teasing that-"  
  
"SILENCE," King Vegeta screamed, interrupting her plea and making her cry. "She's a stupid girl. She's not a warrior, warriors do not have emotions except anger. Your daughter is not worthy of my son."  
  
Kumberelle shook the wetness from her tears off of her tail that was wrapped around her waist and began to cry harder.   
  
A devious smirk crossed the King's lips and he said, "I don't think your daughter is worthy of living."   
  
As King Vegeta charged up a ki blast in his hand and shot it, Zuki grabbed his daughter by the arm and threw across the room saving her life. The blast hit him, taking off his right arm.   
  
Kumberelle stared at the arm in horror as it twitched and a puddle of dark red blood began to form from it and the socket that it was once connected to.   
  
Zuki howled in pain and held the socket, blood dripping from between his fingers.   
  
King Vegeta shook his head and said, "Another foolish person in the family. Like father, like daughter. Since you choose to be so foolish, you must pay for it."  
  
He lifted up his hand and charged up another blast, a blinding blue orb capable of his destruction, as Zuki said his last words to his daughter, "I'll be with mommy, don't worry."  
  
The King released the blast and said, "See you in hell."   
  
He closed his eyes waiting for the blast to end his life. It pierced his skin, engulfing his body in blue light, frying his flesh and deteriorating every bone instantaneously, leaving only the twitching limb as a trace that he even existed.   
  
Kumberelle's power began to rise drastically as a couple guards began to escort her out of the palace, kicking and screaming. They threw her into a space pod and punched in a random course, just seconds before she was about to snap.   
  
A few seconds later she calmed down and heard a loud blast that startled her, followed by a vision of Frieza's ship speeding off into the distance. Putting two and two and together, she assumed that Frieza had destroyed the planet, her home planet, the only place she'd ever known. She clutched her tail and cried incessantly, something she was all too familiar with by then.*  
  
Kumberelle fluttered her eyes open, a single tear streaming down her face, followed by Vegeta who once again stared at her for awhile before saying, "What happened after that?"  
  
"I landed on a remote planet, somewhere," She said, wiping the tear away. "And I destroyed it out of anger. Without my earrings it was easy. I did that for quite sometime, until I felt that my anger might get the best of me and kill me one day. So, I made a scientist on another planet make me some more, for my own protection."  
  
Vegeta nodded. "So why did you come here, exactly?"  
  
She was about to reply when Vegeta's blue-haired mate popped her head out of the window.  
  
"Vegeta," Bulma said. "Lunch is ready. Oh, hello. Who's this?"  
  
Vegeta wasn't sure whether or not he should tell her the truth, but in the end decided on at least telling her that she was Saiyan, after all, the tail was a dead giveaway.   
  
"This is Kumberelle, woman," Vegeta replied. "She's an old, Saiyan friend."  
  
Kumberelle slightly cringed at Vegeta's "friend" comment. She glared at Bulma also. She could tell that she was his mate.   
  
-This is going to be harder than I thought- she thought.   
  
Bulma cocked her head to the side. "A female Saiyan?"  
  
Kumberelle became irritated at her tone. "Yes, there are female Saiyans. Did you think all Saiyans are male and they fuck themselves?"   
  
"No," Bulma said, as cheerful as always. "It's just all the Saiyans I've ever seen are guys."  
  
She examined Kumberelle closely. She noticed that they were the same height, had the same scowl, same glare, same gi for crying out loud!  
  
-No wonder they're friends.- She thought.   
  
"Well," Bulma said. "Would you like to stay for lunch? I could always make some more, it might take a while but-"  
  
"Don't waste your time," Kumberelle said. "I'm not planning on being here that long."   
  
Bulma nodded and went back into the house.   
  
Vegeta turned to Kumberelle. "Well, I'm going to eat. Come in if you like."  
  
Vegeta went inside, followed by a pissed Kumberelle. She didn't plan on being here that long and she was getting impatient.   
  
Little Trunks was reaching over to grab some food from Vegeta's plate when he came in. Vegeta smacked his hand away, hard, causing Trunks to rub it and moan a little in pain.   
  
"Touch it again, brat, and that won't be all that's hurting," he said as he sat down.   
  
Kumberelle sat next to him. - Oh great, he's got a kid too. This is going to be looong day.-  
  
Orange Star High School  
  
Videl leaned back in her chair, twirling one of her pig tails, last night playing over and over in her head. She was still in shock that Gohan liked Lucy and even more so that she'd agreed to hook them up.   
  
Gohan and Lucy were as different as day and night. Lucy was conceited and shallow while Gohan was modest. She was stupid and had common sense while he was incredibly smart, but overly naive. She was all wrong for Gohan, he deserved better. He deserved Videl.   
  
She decided to ask Lucy at lunch, which was next period, and not in Algebra, in order to get it over with. She cringed as she thought about them being romantically involved, it was so hard to imagine. But then again, she couldn't picture Gohan being romantic with anyone but her for obvious reasons.   
  
The bell rang, signaling lunch, and she slowly walked over to her locker, where Gohan always met her, putting off her date with "death" as long as possible. She opened up her locker and got out her lunch money as soon as Gohan came strolling over.   
  
"Hey, Videl," Gohan said. "Are you ready?"   
  
She nodded, her face showing that she was in emotional pain. Gohan, surprisingly, picked up on this and became concerned.   
  
"What's the matter, Videl-san?" he asked. "You don't look too good. Did something happen with your dad last night? He got mad 'cause you were out so late, huh?"  
  
"Nothing's wrong," Videl said, her voice dripping with sadness. "I'm fine, really. My dad did get mad, but by now, I've learned to tune him out. I don't let him get to me."  
  
"I think you're lying to me," Gohan said. "You don't sound ok."  
  
"Fuck how I sound!" She snapped. "Did you not just hear what I said?"  
  
He cringed at her tone. "Not so loud, Videl."  
  
"Well maybe now it'll sink in!"  
  
He gave her an innocent look and she melted. It was so hard to stay mad at him.  
  
"I'm sorry, Gohan," she said.   
  
Before they knew it they had they're lunches (Gohan was armed with a capsule full of much, much, MUCH, more food, of course) and they were on their way to the secluded area outside where they ate everyday. They were even separated from Erasa and Sharpner, for they were too annoying for their own good, well Sharpner for that matter.   
  
Of course this routine sparked rumors that they were more than friends, but by now they had learned to ignore it.   
  
As they approached the door, Videl said, "You go on ahead. I'm gonna go get you hooked up." She laid on a thick layer of bull shit, pretending to be enthusiastic about it, and winked at him.   
  
Gohan shuddered as he remembered who he'd told her he liked. - Why did I have to tell her I liked Lucy? Why'd I have to be so stupid? Sure, Lucy's pretty, but she's nothing compared to my Videl-san.-  
  
He laid down on the cool grass and sighed. - I'll never understand this teenage shit.-  
  
Videl made her way through the numerous amounts of kids and over to the table Lucy and her friends sat at, the preppy table. She rolled her eyes at the subject the girls were talking about.   
  
"And I was like, 'Of course I'll go out with you!'" Lucy exclaimed. " 'cause you know he's, like, soooo totally cute."   
  
Her friends smiled and giggled in response, not even noticing that Videl was sitting there.   
  
Addy, a brown-haired prep, spoke up, "Hi, Videl. Do you, like, need something?" She spoke with slight irritation, a side effect of her snobbishness.   
  
"Um, like, no," Videl said imitating her. "I don't, like, need anything that has to do with you."  
  
Addy mumbled something under breath, arousing Videl's curiosity. She leaned across the table, putting her hand behind her ear and asking, "What? What was that, bitch?"  
  
Addy's mouth dropped and she said, "You're the on that's the bitch!"  
  
"Oh, great comeback," Videl said, sarcastically. "I bet it took all your brainpower to think of that one."  
  
Addy smacked Videl in response, earning a left hook from Videl, sending her to the ground, moaning in pain. She ran out of the cafeteria, crying, while the rest of her friends, except Lucy, stared at Videl in shock.   
  
"Anyway," Videl started. "I have question for you, Lucy."  
  
Lucy's head snapped to her left, towards Videl, at the sound of her name. Apparently she hadn't cared that Addy had just been punched by Videl, or either she was in a preppy galaxy, far, far away, because she seemed unaffected by the incident.   
  
"What's that, Videl?" Lucy asked, curious as to what Videl Satan would ever want to ask her.   
  
"Well," Videl began, her tone getting lower. "My friend likes you. You do know Son Gohan, right? From our Algebra class?"  
  
Lucy stared awhile, probably processing the information, and then exclaimed, "SON GOHAN? ARE YOU KIDDING? OF COURSE I KNOW HIM! OH MY DENDE! HE'S SO CUTE! HE LIKES ME?"  
  
Videl nodded and then thought, -Although I can't see why.-  
  
"Wow!"   
  
"So would you like to go out with him?"  
  
"Of course! We can make plans in Algebra!"  
  
"Alright, I'll tell him."  
  
Videl smiled as she got up and headed toward the door leading to outside.   
  
"Hey, Videl," Lucy called.   
  
Videl turned around.   
  
"Thanks for, like, playing matchmaker!"   
  
"Yep."  
  
Videl rolled her eyes once she turned around. She went outside and sat next to Gohan who was patting his stomach satisfactorily and grinning the widest grin she'd ever seen.   
  
"I'm full," was all he said.   
  
Videl smiled a little, but that quickly faded when he asked, "So how'd things go with Lucy?"  
  
He tried to sound convincing, like he really liked her, but he failed miserably. If Videl had been in her right mind, she would have noticed, but she was so caught up in her heart slowly breaking that she hadn't noticed.   
  
"Good," she said. "She wants to work out the details in Algebra."  
  
Gohan nodded and tried to lighten the mood. "I saw you punch Addy. Nice one!"  
  
Videl looked up from her plate of cafeteria mystery mush and smiled, forgetting her bleeding heart for a moment. It felt good to smile. Gohan always had a way of making her smile.   
  
He didn't know why, but he was always thankful that she did smile. She had a way of lighting a room with her radiance, one of the main things that made his stomach flutter like it was infested with butterflies.   
  
He felt a sudden urge of uncharacteristic courage as he said his next few statements, "You know, you have a beautiful smile, Videl-san. Why is that I always seem to be the one that gets to see it? That's not fair, now is it?"  
  
Videl blushed at his comment. This was very unlike Gohan, but she wasn't complaining.   
  
Gohan was confused as to what made him say that. -Why couldn't I be this forward last night?-  
  
Once Videl got over her blush, she replied, "Well, I guess you're special, Son Gohan."  
  
Her smile grew and Gohan inwardly turned into a muscular pool of Saiyan Jell-O. Damn those hormones of his.   
  
The bell rang, letting them know that lunch was over. They both hated when lunch ended, it was the only time that they got to enjoy each other's company. Sure they had classes together, but it wasn't the same.   
  
They both sighed as they got up and headed to Algebra. Neither one of them wanted to see Lucy hanging all over Gohan, it hurt too much to see themselves without each other. They just wanted to sit and bask in each other's presence forever, to not be bothered by teachers who teach useless information that no one listens to, or kids who either wanted to go out with them or wanted to be their "friends." But, unfortunately, this isn't Burger King, you can't have it your way.   
  
Back at C.C.  
Vegeta finally finished eating and inwardly chuckled at the sight before him. Trunks was still seated at the table, staring at Kumberelle while she was giving him dirty looks in response.   
  
All Trunks could think of was why she had a "furry belt". He felt like Goten as he asked, his curiosity getting the best of him, "Where'd you get the furry belt from?"  
  
Vegeta stifled back his laughter as Kumberelle gave him an intimidating look.   
  
"It's not a belt, brat," Vegeta said. "It's a tail. She's Saiyan and all Saiyans are born with tails. I had one, but it was cut off in battle and you had one too, only yours was removed at birth. Your imprudent mother's doings."  
  
Trunks nodded, his lavender hair moving as he made the gesture. He went to the refrigerator and grabbed a pop and went off into the hallway to his room.   
  
Vegeta returned his attention to Kumberelle and asked, "Now, why did you come here, and more importantly, how'd you know to find me here?"  
  
"Well," she began. "It's a long story, so bare with me. You know I have telekinesis, obviously. Well, my telekinesis evolved through the years and I developed some what psychic capabilities as well as mind reading abilities. But, I can control my mind reading, I can read minds when I want to."  
  
"Psychic capabilities?"   
  
"Yes, only it was a unique form. I only saw visions of YOUR future. I saw visions of you under Frieza's rule, of you on Earth with Nappa, of you on Namek, and of you on Earth. However, I didn't have visions for 7 years, so I began to ignore it. But I had one recently, of you training. You are very impressive, my prince."  
  
Vegeta smirked as she continued, "Anyway, it was like we were bonded, connected in a very unique way. I've looked up to you, my prince. Your accomplishments as a fighter never cease to amaze me."  
  
Vegeta was now smiling wide. He really didn't need anymore boosting of his already massive ego.   
  
"Now," Kumberelle said, smiling, her blood boiling at the thought of him excepting her proposal. "To get to the reason I came here. I've found a remote planet and its inhabitants can easily be manipulated. I'd like for you to come with me and rule it, my prince, or should I say, my king."  
  
Bulma had just walked in and heard the last thing that she said and exclaimed, "What?!", after she dropped the laundry basket full of clothes that she was carrying.   
  
Vegeta stared at Kumberelle while Bulma was staring at Vegeta, awaiting for his response, while Kumberelle was glaring at Bulma menacingly.   
  
-This human is going to be a problem.- she thought. -And what do I do to get a rid of a problem.-  
She began to crack her knuckles, a smile crossing her lips. -I solve it in the best way possible.-  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
End of chapter 4. How'd you like it? This is my longest chapter yet, 14 pages. I really got into this one. I hope this boosts it's popularity a little bit. I think maybe I'll be better at humor fics. I already got an idea on a g/v romance/humor fic. I think I should change the rating to R cuz of this violence, don't ya think? Oh, and I got Addy from a girl I hate at my school and Ruda from a rutabaga. Again, if you'd like to get emailed when there are updates, say so in your review! You better review!!!! Or I'll go nutrageous! 


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you to all who reviewed! I feel all special! And be on the look out for eminem-fire-pimptight's (a.k.a. my best friend, Autumn) t/p fic which should come out soon. I'm not quite sure what the title is yet, but I'll let you know as soon as it's out. It should be good! And don't forget to review like these nice people:  
  
Pink Namek  
Flareon0301/SaiyanCat  
Rainymalamute  
eminem-fire-pimptight  
Bulma-Vegeta (chapter 1)  
Oh So Devilish  
  
Important  
-...- indicates thoughts  
*...* indicates a flashback  
~...~ indicates speech through a bond  
(A/N:..) indicates any necessary (or unnecessary) Author's Notes by yours truly  
*~*...*~* and for today, this symbol indicates a dream  
  
Disclaimer: Y'all know what's up. I ain't Akira Toriyama, therefore, DBZ ain't mine.  
  
  
  
Bulma cocked her head to the side when she realized Kumberelle was staring at her. A devious smile crept upon her face, a smile Bulma was sure only Vegeta could pull off. It sent chills down her spine and made her extremely uncomfortable. She'd seen that look on Vegeta countless times, and before they were married it always made her scared shitless. She was well aware of the damage a Saiyan could do and that look told her not to trust this woman.   
  
She returned her attention to Vegeta, who's expression appeared to be emotionless, like he was lost in thought. This confused Bulma. This should be an easy decision, right?  
  
Not for Vegeta. Inside his head, the cold-hearted, blood-thirsty side of him and the sensible family man he had recently become, were having a mental dispute. Both sides had "reasonable" arguments.   
  
- Ok,- he thought. - Take this chance, this once in a lifetime chance, to become a king or stay on this pitiful planet with the woman and the brat. Becoming a king might fill this emptiness I've been feeling, but how can I leave them? I am bonded to the woman...and the brat needs some good training...-  
  
Kumberelle and Bulma kept their eyes locked on Vegeta until he spoke, "I've decided that....I need more time. Can you give me more time, Kumberelle?"  
  
"More time?!" Bulma shouted, bringing her hands to her hips. "Why the hell do you need more time?! How difficult of a decision can this be?! You can not leave me and Trunks!"  
  
"It is more difficult than you think, woman," Vegeta said, then turned his attention to Kumberelle. "Come back tomorrow."  
  
"Yes, Prince Vegeta," Kumberelle said.   
  
She bowed and walked out of Capsule Corp., but not before shooting Bulma that infamous Vegeta-like grin.   
  
"Vegeta," Bulma said, a little calmer than before. "You can't be serious. How can you even think of leaving me and Trunks?"  
  
Vegeta just grunted and excused himself from the table, walking in the direction of his beloved Gravity Room.   
  
"I'm going to train," was all he said before he vanished from Bulma's view.   
  
The blue-haired woman plopped into the nearest chair and began to sob softly, burying her face in her hands, while repeating mentally, -He can't leave me...he just can't.-  
  
Just then Trunks walked in the kitchen and saw his mother crying. He put his hand on her shoulder, startling her.   
  
"What's wrong, mom?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing, sweetheart," Bulma said. "I'm fine, don't worry."  
  
She picked up the laundry basket she had dropped due to the shock of Kumberelle's proposal and proceeded to take the clothes to the places that they needed to be.   
  
Trunks sat down in the chair that his mother had just gotten up from and sighed. He was confused. He knew his mother too well, something just wasn't right. He thought that maybe his parents got into another argument, but that was highly unlikely because she was crying. Neither one of them showed any emotion except for anger after an argument, no matter how much the other person's words hurt them.   
  
The lavender-haired boy decided that it must have something to do with the strange woman that was at his house earlier. Her ki was awfully low for a Saiyan, which made no sense.   
  
-I'm getting to the bottom of this, no matter what.- Trunks thought, then disappeared to his room.   
  
Somewhere in the air  
Kumberelle flew in the direction her ship was in, slightly pissed for having to wait for an answer, but happy that he was even thinking about it. After she saw that he had a mate and child, she was sure that he'd never agree to her proposal, but when he said he'd have to think about it, she was ecstatic. She'd been feeling empty after her father's death and she felt that maybe Vegeta could help fill that emptiness.   
  
In the back of her mind she knew that there wasn't a good possibility that he'd come with her. He was bonded to Bulma and it would be hard to tear him away from her.   
  
She landed on a tree branch and picked an apple.   
  
- That blue-haired abomination is going to be a problem. I must think of a way to rid of her.-  
  
She sat down on the branch, letting her tail move freely with the wind. Within seconds she had finished her 3rd apple and had started another one. Suddenly, she stood up.  
  
"I got it!" she exclaimed. "I know just how to get rid of her!"  
  
Orange Star High School  
Videl smiled as she slept in Algebra class. They were supposed to be using this part of class to do their homework, but instead Videl took this opportunity to take a much needed nap. The party from last night really wore her out and the dream that she was having was making up for the loss of sleep.   
  
*~*Videl crossed her arms and smirked as she looked at what she'd created. At her feet was Lucy and about 20 of her friends tied together, screaming for help.  
  
"Please, Almighty Videl," Lucy pleaded. "Please spare our worthless lives. Please! I beg of you, your highness." (A/N: I just had to throw in the "Almighty" and "your highness" stuff. Don't ask me why....)  
  
Videl threw her head back and laughed, an evil laugh that scared Lucy even more.   
  
"Now, why would I want to do that?" Videl said. "You WERE trying to steal the man of my dreams."  
  
"But they weren't, your highness," Lucy said. "They're just my friends."  
  
"All the more reason to kill them, too."  
  
Videl walked away and couple minutes later came back with some lighter fluid. She poured it all over their bodies causing to scream once again, and then lit a match.   
  
"You're not going to burn us to death, are you?" Lucy said, now so scared she probably shit on herself.   
  
"Nonsense," Videl said.  
  
Lucy smiled with relief, "Really?"  
  
"No," Videl said, shaking her head. "The fire's going to do that for me."  
  
Videl dropped the lit match and immediately smiled as the girls began to scream in agony. She threw her head back and laughed again, her hands on her hips. Soon the fire was out and only a pile of preppy ash was left.   
  
Suddenly, Videl felt a familiar ki approaching. Everything suddenly became black as she heard footsteps in her direction.  
  
"Who's there?" Videl called.   
  
There was no answer except for the footsteps growing closer and closer to her. The darkness got lighter with every step that this mysterious person took, but she couldn't quite make out who this person was and why this ki was so familiar to her.   
  
The person was now directly in front of her and without warning, leaned down and kissed her softly. When the person pulled away, Videl could now see clearly who the person was. In front of her was a grinning Son Gohan.   
  
Videl smiled back and they began to kiss again, making her dream even more enjoyable than before. *~*  
  
"Gohan..." Videl moaned in her sleep, only soft enough for Gohan's advanced hearing to pick up.   
  
Gohan turned to the sleeping beauty on his left and cocked an eyebrow. -What the hell is she dreaming about?-  
  
"Gohan?" Lucy said in a tone that only a spoiled brat who was used to being the center of attention would use. "Hello? Are you even listening to me?"  
  
Gohan snapped his head back to Lucy, who was now at his right. She had switched places with Erasa so that they could talk about their date. "Uh...yeah...of course I was listening. Go on."  
  
Lucy immediately turned into her cheerful self and smiled. "Ok, so like, on our date..."  
  
That was all Gohan heard. His mind was in other places, mainly involving Videl. He was mentally scolding himself for letting Videl get him a date with this girl, while uttering an occasional, "uh huh" or "ok" as she talked. He had thought that Lucy was pretty on the outside, which she was, but now he was beginning to see why she seemed to have a new boyfriend ever other week. This girl was just too damn happy! And she never shut up!   
  
Videl smiled as her dream continued but was interrupted by a voice coming from her watch.   
  
"Videl?" The voice called. "Miss Videl?"  
  
Videl's head shot up at the sound of her name. She rubbed her eyes and looked down at her watch.  
  
"Yes?" she replied, groggily.   
  
"We have a bank robbery in progress, Miss Videl," the voice, whom Videl recognized as the chief of police, said.   
  
"I'll be right there." - Damn bank robbers. I was having a nice dream.-  
  
Videl got up and walked down to the front of the class and asked the teacher's permission to leave. Once he nodded yes, she walked to the door and shot Gohan a look that said, "Come if you want."  
  
Videl knew most likely he would be there dressed as the Great Saiyaman. Everyone was still oblivious to the fact that he was the Great Saiyaman, the Gold Fighter, and the real person who defeated Cell except for her and the Z gang and she liked it that way. It made her feel special, like she had a special connection with Gohan that no other person had. It also made her happy to know that he cared that much for her and left class to make sure she didn't get hurt, even though he knew she'd most likely take care of everything herself. She hoped to Dende that he'd help her this time because she hated to see Lucy hanging on him.   
  
Gohan was about to go to the teacher's desk and ask for his permission to go to the bathroom so that he could escape to help Videl, but Lucy held onto his arm.   
  
"Could you let go so that I could step out for awhile?" Gohan asked sweetly.   
  
"Why?" Lucy asked. "Do you want to get away from me? Why do you want to leave me?" Tears welled up in her blue eyes and her lower lip began to quiver.   
  
"Lucy, I just-"  
  
"You just want to leave me!"   
  
The tears were now coming full force and she was wailing loudly. Everyone in the room looked up and began to laugh.   
  
"Please, Lucy," Gohan whispered. "Stop crying, your making a scene."  
  
"But you said you'd leave me!" Lucy cried.   
  
"I just want to go to the bathroom!" Gohan shouted back, now frustrated. Everyone else laughed harder.   
  
"You can go Gohan," the teacher said, smirking. "If it's really that serious, you can go. And Lucy, please control your outbursts."  
  
Lucy smiled and wiped her tears. "Kay!"   
  
Gohan growled under his breath and walked out of the door. - Women.-  
  
Gohan rushed to the roof and changed into his green Saiyaman costume. He expanded his senses and found Videl's ki approaching the school. -Wow, she's done with that robbery already?-  
  
He floated down to the front of the school just as Videl was approaching it.   
  
"You handled it that quick?" Gohan asked.   
  
"Yep," Videl said. "The bank was right down the street and the thief was some puny girl that could barely keep the gun up, let alone defend herself against me. What took you so long?"  
  
"Well.. I... uh... you see...Lucy was-"  
  
"Oh, I get it. You couldn't pull yourself away from her, could you?"  
  
"Videl it's not like that-"  
  
"Bull shit! I should've known how you'd act once you got a girlfriend. You don't have time for friends now that you have her."  
  
"She's not even my girlfriend!"   
  
The last part Videl didn't hear because she was already inside of the school. Gohan sighed and smacked himself. -Every time I open my mouth....-  
  
Later, at the Son house  
Gohan walked into his dome shaped house sad and sullen, his back pack over his right shoulder.   
  
His parents were watching something on TV. Apparently it was good because they didn't even look up when they told their oldest child hello.   
  
Goten came running in shouting, "Gohan's home!"  
  
"Shhhh...." Chichi and Goku said in unison.   
  
Gohan forced a smile as Goten jumped on him and wrapped his arms tightly around his neck.   
  
"Goten....ease up there...squirt," Gohan choked out, the color slowly draining from his face. "You've..... kind of.... got a tight grip... on me."  
  
Goten jumped down and the color immediately returned to Gohan's face. Goten blushed and rubbed the back of his head, "Heh. Sorry, brother."  
  
- Damn you look like dad, Goten.- (Gohan)  
  
"Gohan!" Goku's mini-me said. "Guess what I did today!"  
  
"What did you do, squirt?" Gohan tried to sound interested but failed.  
  
"Meanddadwentfishingandwecaughtabigfishbiggerthanyouevenandthenwewenttoseekrillinand18andyamchaandmasterroshiandthenwecamehomeandateandgrampacameoverandthegrownupswastalkingandiwasboredbutdaddytookmeforicecreamand-" (A/N: Translation: Me and dad went fishing and we caught a big fish, bigger than you even and then we went to see Krillin and18 and Yamcha and Master Roshi and then we came home and ate and Grampa came over and the grownups was talking and I was bored but daddy took me for icecream and-)  
  
"Ok, Goten," Gohan interrupted. "I get the point."  
  
"But I'm not finished!" Goten pouted.   
  
"Tell me later, squirt. I have homework to do."  
  
It wasn't a lie, he did have homework to do, but it wasn't like it would take longer than 5 minutes to do it.   
  
"Aww man," Goten said as Gohan disappeared into his room. "Oh well."  
  
Goten ran over and jumped in between his parents on the couch.   
  
Goku noticed the change in his oldest son's behavior and brought two fingers up to his forehead.   
  
"Be right back, Chi," he said before he used the Instant Transmission technique and appeared in Gohan's room.   
  
"Dad!" Gohan shouted when Goku appeared literally out of thin air right before him, startling him. "Warn me, before you do that!"  
  
"Sorry, Gohan," Goku said. "But I had a feeling you were down today. Is something wrong?"  
  
Gohan sighed and plopped onto his bed. He didn't feel like talking about it, but he knew it would make him feel better if he did. His dad always had a way of making him feel better by his constant optimistic outlook about everything and this might be his last chance to get his father's advice.   
  
He then told Goku everything, how he told Videl that he liked Lucy instead of her and about how Videl got him a date with her which was supposed to take place on Friday. He also told him about the biggest reason he was depressed, because Videl accused him of not being a good friend. He didn't know why, but her being mad at him really hurt him.   
  
"Wow," Goku said. "Sounds to me like she really does like you. She sounds a bit jealous to me." (A/N: Goku's not an idiot after all.)  
  
"If that was true," Gohan said. "Then why would she set me up with Lucy in the first place?"  
  
"Maybe she really thought that that was what would make you happy, and being the good friend that she is, she wanted to see you happy no matter how much it would hurt her."  
  
"I don't think so, dad. Plenty of guys like her, why would she like me?"  
  
Goku inwardly shook his head. -When will he learn?- "Just think about it, son."  
  
He walked over to Gohan and put his hand on his shoulder. "Tomorrow, why don't you apologize to her. Tell her that you never meant to hurt her in anyway. And go on this date. One date couldn't hurt. Could it?"  
  
Gohan sighed. His father had a point. "No, I guess not."  
  
"Then, tell Videl you're true feelings."  
  
"But what if she hates me for lying to her? What if she doesn't feel the same way?"  
  
"That's the risk you're just going to have to take."  
  
Gohan nodded. "Thanks for the advice, dad."  
  
"No problem, son."   
  
Goku smiled his trademark smile before Instant Transmissioned into the living room.   
  
Gohan laid back on his bed but shot back up when he heard his mother scream.   
  
"Goku!" Chichi screamed. "Don't do that!"  
  
Goku rubbed the back of his head and grinned. "Sorry, Chi."  
  
Satan Mansion  
"Stupid Gohan!" Videl shouted while slamming her bedroom door and tossing her backpack into a chair. "Stupid preppy bitch..."  
  
She sat down on her bed and out of anger and frustration she screamed and threw the nearest object at the wall. It cracked into a couple pieces, sounding like glass shattering.   
  
Videl sighed. - Can't let the maids see this, they'll ask questions.-  
  
She got up and knelt down to clean up her mess. She picked up a few pieces and gasped when she saw what it was.   
  
In her hands was a wooden photo frame that once held three pictures in it. She held up one of the pictures and smiled. It was a picture of Videl, arms crossed, cocking an eyebrow at Gohan who was rubbing the back of his neck and grinning nervously. She began to chuckle lightly remembering that day.   
  
*It was a sunny day, the day that Gohan introduced Videl to his family. Everything had gone smoothly after dinner at his house and after his mother got over the fact that they were just friends and wouldn't be having her grandchildren anytime soon. But 2 little half-Saiyans ruined it.   
  
Trunks was playing with his new camera, the kind where the picture comes out instantaneously, and was taking pictures of everything in sight. He already took a picture of his parents, Chichi, 3 of Goten, Gohan, and tried to take one of himself, but all that could be seen was a blurry image of his lavender hair.   
  
"Trunks," Gohan said. "Put that thing away and stop taking pictures."  
  
"Why?" Trunks asked. "I want to get one of you and your girlfriend!"  
  
Goten snickered while Videl and Gohan blushed, Gohan more so than Videl. Trunks took that opportunity to get a picture of Gohan.   
  
"Perfect," Trunks said. "Nice shade of red, Gohan."  
  
Now Gohan blushed redder, but not because of embarrassment, but because of anger. He chased Trunks around the kitchen table they were all sitting at.   
  
"Help, Goten!" Trunks shouted as they made their way around the table a 3rd time.   
  
"No way!" Goten said. "You're on your own."  
  
Gohan continued to chase Trunks. Videl decided that was enough of the childishness and stood in front of Gohan. He ran into her, but instead of just getting knocked down by the force, Videl got knocked backward into a wall.   
  
"Ouch," she said, rubbing her head as Gohan hurried over and helped her up. "What are you, a brick wall?"  
  
Goten snickered. "That's cuz of the Saiyan in him."  
  
Trunks went over to his best friend and whispered, "Goten, Gohan hasn't told her about Saiyans yet, so shut up."  
  
"Saiyan?" Videl said, once she regained her composure. "What's that?"  
  
Gohan grinned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Kids say the weirdest things...."  
  
He began to grin nervously and Videl cocked an eyebrow at him.   
  
Another perfect opportunity for Trunks. He brought the camera up to his face and snapped a picture of them.   
  
"That should be a good one," he said. "Here, Videl, you keep it. I sense my time on Earth is almost up."  
  
Trunks looked at the angry look on Gohan's face and quickly handed the picture to Videl and ran for his life again, this time with Goten behind him, running to tell his mother.   
  
Videl smiled when the picture developed and stuck it in her pocket.*  
  
Videl put that picture aside and looked at the next one. The second picture was of her and her father after the Cell Games. Her father had his hands on his hips, smiling that huge, goofy grin that most of the us DBZ fans hate, and little Videl was smiling up at her father, her blue eyes shining with pride.   
  
Videl cringed as she thought about how she fell for that lie. She was only a child, and it was her father, but she still hated herself for falling for that lie. She was now ashamed that her father was a fraud and even more ashamed that the people of the world were still being deceived. She remembered how stupid he reacted when she told him that she knew that Gohan defeated Cell.   
  
"It was all those silly tricks and light shows that makes you think that, honey," Hercule had said. "He couldn't have beat Cell. I'M the World Champion!"  
  
Videl just rolled her eyes. She decided that photo wasn't worth keeping and put in her trash pile along with the pieces of shattered glass and wood.   
  
The last photo was of Videl and her mother. Her mother looked exactly like Videl, except her black hair went to her waist. Videl was sitting on her mother's lap, their identical blue eyes shining with joy. The picture was taken the day that her mother died.   
  
Videl shook her head, not wanting a flashback to occur. She wiped away the tear that had managed to escape her eyes. She didn't want to dwell on a painful memory that not even Gohan nor Erasa knew about. It was just too hard to do and she promised herself she'd never cry for her again.   
  
Videl finished cleaning up the mess and hung up the pictures on her wall, all except for the one with her father in it. When she was done she laid down on her bed and began to think about her life.   
  
The life she had when she was younger was totally different from the life she had now. Her life with both of her parents was full of love, but once her mother died, it turned into the exact opposite. Her father would become depressed and so would she. They barely said a word to each other, but then the Cell Games came, and once again everything changed. Her father began to spoil her, which made her happy for awhile, but then she realized that there was more to life than just fame and fortune. She missed her father, who now filled his life with martial arts and cheap sluts. She became depressed again and filled that void with martial arts, in hopes of proving to her father that she was still alive with something they both could relate to, and ended up loving it. Soon after that she began to fight crime.  
  
Then she met Son Gohan. Gohan filled her life with everything, someone to talk to, someone to have fun with, and someone to spar with. Sure, she always had Erasa, but she could relate to Gohan more. She totally trusted him, possibly the only person that she trusted, but he was still unaware of the story about her mother. She'd change the subject whenever he brought it up, but she vowed that one day he would know the truth. He was, after all, her crush, and her best friend.   
  
C.C.  
~Vegeta~ Bulma said through their bond. ~Time for dinner.~  
  
Her voice lacked the usual cheerfulness and Vegeta knew exactly why. She was upset that Vegeta had to ponder the idea of leaving his family to go rule some planet.   
  
(Vegeta) -She has to understand this. I'm a Saiyan, always have been and always will be. We crave fighting, superiority, any boost to our pride. She just has to understand this.-   
  
Vegeta sat down at the table just as Bulma was sitting down. Trunks was already digging into his food as Bulma began to eat hers slower than usual. Vegeta noticed this and talked to her through their bond while eating.   
  
~ Listen, woman. I'm 2 people now. As much as I hate to admit it, I have a human side as well as a Saiyan side. My human side wants to stay but my Saiyan blood is craving adventure.~  
  
~I don't care, Vegeta. You have a wife and kid now, you have responsibilities. You can't just throw that away for some "adventure."~  
  
~But my Saiyan pride- ~  
  
~Forget your Saiyan pride for once!~  
  
~But I can't forget it! It's my heritage, woman! It's what makes me, me! How would you feel if I told you to forget those silly inventions or whatever it is that you do! It's not fair, woman!~  
  
~That's totally different, Vegeta.~  
  
~How so?~  
  
~Your "Saiyan pride" can cause you to leave us. Your "Saiyan pride" can cause you to destroy people, planets, anything to prove that you're the best. Nothing good comes from that damn "Saiyan pride" of yours!~  
  
~That's not true...~  
  
~Well until you can prove it to me, I rest my case.~  
  
~I don't need this! I don't need you nor the kid!~  
  
~But we're here! Therefore, you do need to take care of us! You need me at least! I'm fucking bonded with you!~  
  
~This discussion is over.~  
  
With that being said, Vegeta slapped a block on their telepathic communication and excused himself to go to train.   
  
- How does he do that right when I'm winning?- (Bulma)  
  
Somewhere of in the distance  
Kumberelle laid on the ground by her ship, still contemplating her plan for getting rid of Bulma. It was really risky. She knew that without his mate, Vegeta would never be the same. His power would go down drastically, but she needed him. She needed him to fill the hollowness in her heart. She needed him to be her king, her mate.   
  
- I can't back down. This is what I need to be complete again.-   
  
She stood up and brushed herself off, getting ready to go with her plan.   
  
Back at the Son house  
Gohan yawned and stretched in his bed. He couldn't sleep knowing that Videl was mad at him. He just hurt too much and every time he got to sleep he saw the hurt in Videl's eyes before she took off into the school that day. Seeing Videl hurt made him hurt 10 times worse.   
  
He looked over at the clock. It read 1:30 a.m. - Great, now I'll only get 5 hours pf sleep.-  
  
He got out of bed and decided to get on the laptop computer to check his email. The laptop had been a birthday present from Bulma the year before and he thanked her for it every chance he got. It always helped him relieve boredom, stress, or whatever was bothering him.   
  
He logged onto AOL on his screen name, SuperScholar01, and checked his email. - Let's see. Mail from Bulma, Krillin, Yamcha, BlueAngelL? Who's that?-  
  
He opened the email from BlueAngelL and it read:  
  
Hey, cutie! I got your email address from Erasa! It's that great! Anyway, I just wanted to remind you about our date on Friday! The movie starts at 7 but meet me at the Cineplex at 6:40 to make sure that we get good seats! Luv ya, cutie!  
  
- Lucy : )  
  
Gohan rolled his eyes at all the exclamation points. -This girl is even happy on email!-  
  
He continued to check his email. Disappointed that there was no email from Videl, he was about to log off when the sound of a door opening caught his attention. He looked over at his Buddy List and saw that SpawnOfSatan, Videl's screen name, had just logged on. He sent her an instant message and their conversation went as follows:  
  
SuperScholar01: Hey, Videl. What are you doing up so late?  
SpawnOfSatan: I don't know. Couldn't sleep. How bout you?  
SuperScholar01: Same.  
SpawnOfSatan: Listen, Gohan. I'm sorry about what I said to you earlier. I was being a real jerk.  
SuperScholar01: It's ok, Videl.  
SpawnOfSatan: No it's not! I shouldn't have said that. I know you better than that, you'd never betray a friend. I guess it was just jealousy that made me say it, I don't know.  
SuperScholar01: Wow, Videl Satan admitting when she's wrong. Is hell freezing over?  
SpawnOfSatan: Lol. I guess.  
SpawnOfSatan: So, when's the date?  
SuperScholar01: Friday. To tell you the truth, I don't really want to go.   
SpawnOfSatan: Why? I thought you liked her?  
SuperScholar01: So did I. But she's like a donut, all sweet on the inside and nothing but an empty hole in the middle.   
SpawnOfSatan: Lol.   
SuperScholar01: But, I'm still going to go out with her. Maybe it'll get better.  
SpawnOfSatan: Could be. But, I'll talk to you later, Gohan. I'm feeling tired now that I got all that off my chest.   
SuperScholar01: Alright. Good night, Videl-san.  
SpawnOfSatan: Good night, Gohan.  
  
(A/N: I know this kind of thing has been done before, but I couldn't resist.)  
  
Gohan logged off after Videl and turned off his computer. He felt 100% better and as soon as his head hit his pillow, he fell asleep.   
  
C.C.  
Kumberelle floated outside the large dome shaped building, her tail waving freely behind her. She took a deep breath and floated up to the window where she felt Bulma's ki. She looked in and saw that Vegeta wasn't there.   
  
- Must've had a fight- she thought.  
  
She floated inside and looked at the sleeping woman in front of her. Kumberelle smirked as she thought about the end results of her plan, she'd have Vegeta and there'd be no more Bulma to hold him back.   
  
She used her mind to roll Bulma over so that she was on her back and to bring the sword that she had brought with her out of it's sheath. She moved the sword above Bulma's heart, 10 feet above.   
  
- Here goes nothing.-   
  
She took a deep breath and began to let the sword drop with her mind. Suddenly, a ki blast raced to the sword just before it pierced Bulma's skin, sending into the wall by the bed, shattering it into pieces. Bulma's head shot up.  
  
"What's going on?" Bulma asked, disoriented.   
  
"What the hell?" Kumberelle said, whipping her head around to the direction the blast came from.   
  
Her eyes popped out at who was in front of the bed. This person had an evil, determined look in its eyes and its hand was still stretched out. But what shocked Kumberelle even more was that this person was a Super Saiyan. it was clearly evident by the way its hair spiked upward and the fact that it was now gold. A golden aura surrounded the person's body.   
  
-This...this can't be who I think...- Kumberelle thought. -But...but... it is.-  
  
"Try anything like that again," the person said. "And that sword won't be the only thing in pieces."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
Sorry bout the cliffhanger, but it looked like a good time to stop. I know the thing about Videl's mom has been done way too many times, but I needed something to keep this story going. I really don't know where this story's going now, to tell you the truth. God, my hands hurt! I typed this non stop. My longest chapter yet looks like. Anyway, remember to tell me if you want to be on my mailing list and I'll email you when every single chapter comes out. And also, keep reviewing! I appreciate it! 


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry about the wait with this chapter, but I got writer's block really bad. And plus it's summer vacation time now, which is sit on my ass and be lazy time for me, and ff.net wanted to be difficult when I tried to post it, so it took like two days to finally update it. Anyway, I'll try to be quicker next time. Hopefully I won't have writer's block again. And please let me know if you want to be on the mailing list.   
  
Very, Very Special Thanks To Reviews From:  
Flareon0301/SaiyanCat  
Pink Namek  
Xela  
Diane  
eminem-fire-pimptight  
Pupetta  
DragonUk  
Bobbin  
  
You guys are pimptacular!!!!!   
  
~As Always~  
-...- thoughts  
~...~ bond communication  
*...* flashback  
(A/N...) Author's Notes  
  
Disclaimer: Do I really have to keep telling you the obvious? I think not.   
  
  
  
  
Gohan's head shot up, ruining the wonderful dream of Videl that was in progress. He felt someone's ki rise, Trunks' ki, but told himself that Trunks couldn't possibly possess that kind of power at the tender age of 8.   
  
Fearing the worst, he got out of bed and walked down the hall to his parents bedroom to see if his father had felt it too, but, ran into Goku on the way.  
  
"Did you feel it, too?" he asked his eldest son.   
  
Gohan nodded. "It feels like Trunks. But Trunks can't have that kind of power, can he?"  
  
"I don't know," Goku said. "But I don't think we have anything to worry about, whoever it is."  
  
"Trunks is in trouble," they heard a voice say.   
  
They looked down to see Goten looking up at them, looking adorable in his pajamas and clutching a blanket tightly, a sad expression on his usually cheerful face.   
  
"How do you know, squirt?" Gohan asked.   
  
"'Cause," he began. "I felt his ki rise. He never goes Super Saiyan unless he feels he can't win one of our sparring matches. I know him and Vegeta aren't sparring now 'cause it's nighttime, which means that he must be in trouble."  
  
Goku and Gohan's eyes widened as they said together, "Trunks is a Super Saiyan?"  
  
"Uh huh," Goten replied, wiping his eyes. "I'm worried about him. Can we go check out what's going on?"  
  
"Sure," Goku said, smiling. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure Trunks is ok. But we'll go anyway, just to make sure."   
  
Goten smiled, feeling reassured in his best friend's well-being now that his dad said he would be ok. He ran into his room and got dressed in his gi that was almost identical to his father's while Gohan and Goku did the same and soon they were flying off into the night towards Capsule Corporation.   
  
Satan Mansion  
Videl couldn't go to sleep. She had a weird feeling in her stomach that wouldn't let her rest. Then she realized it wasn't a stomach ache, she was feeling someone's ki rise. But due to the fact that she was still learning to master this technique, it was taking her awhile to figure out who's ki it was. All she knew was that she didn't like it, it just didn't feel right.   
  
- Gohan will know, I'm sure.-   
  
She quickly got dressed in her usual oversized white T-shirt and black shorts and flew out of her window towards Gohan's ki, a ki that she was all too familiar with of course.   
  
C.C.   
Kumberelle stood wide eyed at the lavender haired, well, formerly lavender haired boy at the foot of Bulma's bed. His appearance frightened her for some odd reason. It was so unexpected to have an encounter with a child that already knew how to become a Super Saiyan that it left her, somewhat, in a state of shock.   
  
"What do you think you're doing in my house?" Trunks asked, sounding so intimidating and adult-like that it sent chills down the Saiyan woman's spine.   
  
Just then, Vegeta burst through the door. Surveying the scene in front of him, he didn't even have to ask what was going on. There stood his son, a Super Saiyan, Kumberelle at Bulma's bedside, and Bulma laying there, probably confused. He saw a sword in pieces, the final piece of the puzzle, which put the whole situation in perspective.  
  
He was somewhat shocked to find that his 8 year old son could already master the technique it took him so long to master, but that quickly changed to pride with a matching smirk to go with it.   
  
Kumberelle's expression widened his smirk. To see the fear in her eyes that his child created, a mere child, was priceless. He saw the fright in his wife's eyes and quickly changed his emotion to anger.   
  
"What are you doing here?" Vegeta growled at Kumberelle. "How dare you try to hurt my family!"  
  
Bulma, finally understanding the whole situation she was in, got out of bed and flung herself at Vegeta, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. To her surprise, he didn't push her away. He gently held her, still maintaining his menacing glare at Kumberelle.   
  
"You will pay for what you tried to do," Trunks said, stating what Vegeta was about to say at that moment, making him smirk at how much they were alike.   
  
"Yes," Vegeta agreed. "You will pay. What made you do such a thing?"  
  
~ I guess this means you aren't going with her to rule that planet, are you?~ Bulma said, or rather thought, to Vegeta.   
  
~ Of course not. I wasn't going even if she didn't pull this stunt. My power level would go down horrendously if I left because I'd be without my mate, and it looks like the brat needs some good training... I couldn't just leave now. ~  
  
Bulma smiled. She knew that was his way of saying that he loved his family. ~ I love you, Vegeta.~  
  
~ I know, woman.~  
  
Kumberelle lowered her head in defeat, feeling ashamed, like the little girl she used to be whenever the King had approached her. Realizing this, she lifted her head up and tried to be as confident as she was when she approached Vegeta earlier.   
  
She was about to speak when the Son men, better known as Goku, Gohan, and Goten, flew into the open window that she'd used to break into the Briefs' home.   
  
"Kakarrot!" Vegeta exclaimed. "What are you and your brats doing here?"  
  
Again someone else was interrupted before they could answer Vegeta's question because of someone flying through the window. This time, Goku was interrupted by Videl flying in.   
  
"Oh great," Vegeta said, sarcastically. "Now Kakarrot's eldest brat's mate is here."  
  
"She's not my mate, your royal shortness," Gohan growled, then turned to Videl. "You felt the ki, too?"  
  
"Yeah," she replied. "Who was it?"  
  
"Trunks."  
  
"Trunks?"  
  
"Trunks," Vegeta repeated. "Why would you think any different? After all, he is my son."  
  
Vegeta smirked as everyone else but Kumberelle rolled their eyes. Vegeta's ego just kept getting bigger and bigger every second.   
  
Kumberelle examined the new comers, especially the one Vegeta called Kakarrot. She figured the boys must be his children, half breeds like Vegeta's boy.   
  
- I wonder if they can go Super Saiyan too. If so, I just might be in deep shit.-  
  
As if he felt Kumberelle's gaze upon him, Goku looked in her direction. Looking her up and down, naturally the feature that seemed to jump out at him was her furry, 5th appendage, also known as a tail.   
  
- She's a Saiyan?- "Vegeta, who is this?" he asked, pointing at her.   
  
Vegeta then began to retell Kumberelle's story that she'd told him before, including the proposal that she'd made to him, and the incident that had just occurred moments ago. He also told them about her incredible mental power, warning them of her mind reading capabilities. He didn't leave not a single thing out, making most of the people in the room realize why Trunks' ki rose.   
  
"So," Vegeta said, turning to Kumberelle. "How is it that I can't sense your ki?"  
  
"The earrings shield my full ki," she replied. "I must've failed to mention that earlier."  
  
Vegeta nodded. "You do understand you are not leaving this planet alive now that you've attempted to murder my wife?"  
  
"I figured so. May I ask that the bout be set for Saturday. I think I need some time to train."  
  
Vegeta smirked, thinking that she was so afraid that she wanted to postpone her date with death. "Very well. Saturday at 2:00."  
  
"Fine," Kumberelle replied and flew off to wherever it was that she stayed at.   
  
"Vegeta," Goku said. "Are you sure that you can handle her?"  
  
Vegeta grunted. "Of course, Kakarrot. She's a female Saiyan and I'm sure she has no idea how to transform into Super Saiyan. That's why she looked so scared when the brat transformed."  
  
"That might be, Vegeta," Goku said. "But she also has that awesome mind power. And she's going to have to take off those ki shields to fight you, making you more vulnerable to one of her outburst things."  
  
Vegeta was silent for a moment. He hadn't thought of that. It would make it much more easily for her to defeat him if she went off the wall like she had been doing. But of course Vegeta, the mighty Prince of the Saiyans, wasn't about to admit that he might be facing defeat. Vegeta may have been a prince, but he was also a king. The king of arrogance.   
  
"I can handle it, Kakarrot," Vegeta said. "I am the Prince of Saiyans. Besides, I know you and your brats are going to be there trying to interfere, just as you always have been. And my brat will there too, I'm sure."   
  
He smirked at his son, earning a similar smirk from him.   
  
"You bet," Goku said, then turned to his sons. "We better get going. Your mom's probably worried about us."   
  
Gohan nodded, barely able to do anything else. He was so sleepy, it was hard for him to get up from the chair that he was in. Of course having Goten and Videl nuzzled up to him, both asleep, didn't help either.   
  
He woke up Goten first, whom his father picked up, and was about to wake up Videl, but decided not to. She looked like and angel to him when she was asleep.   
  
"I'm going to take Videl home," Gohan said. "I'll catch up to you guys later."  
  
Goku smirked and whispered in his son's ears, "Try to control yourself when you're in her bedroom, Gohan. I don't want to be a grandfather prematurely."  
  
Gohan just grunted and flew out of the window, followed by Goku.   
  
Vegeta picked up his sleeping wife from the chair she was in and laid her gently in their bed. He looked at her sleeping form for awhile, trying not to smile. Then he looked up and noticed that Trunks was about to leave.   
  
"Wait, brat," Vegeta whispered, so he didn't wake up Bulma. He walked over to his son and added, "How long have you been able to transform?"  
  
Trunks shrugged. "I don't know. A while now."  
  
"How did it happen?"  
  
"Well, me and Goten were sparring and when I felt like I would lose the match, I just transformed accidentally and won."  
  
"Does Kakarrot's 2nd brat know how to transform?"  
  
"Yeah. He transformed after me though, maybe a couple months after."  
  
Vegeta smirked. - Looks like I've beaten Kakarrot, finally. In a way...- "How did you know that Kumberelle was here if you can't feel her ki?" he asked his son.  
  
"I was worried about mom," Trunks answered. "You guys were acting funny today and I had a feeling she had something to do with it. So I snuck into you guys' room and sat in a chair so I could be on guard. I had my ki pushed down so she couldn't feel it."   
  
"You're going to need some training, brat. Starting tomorrow. I'm waking you up bright and early, so you better hurry up and get some sleep."  
  
Trunks stifled a groan. The last thing he wanted to do was train with his father, but with the upcoming battle between him and Kumberelle on his mind, he decided he better jump on the chance to spend time with him. He had a weird feeling that this battle would be his father's last, a feeling he couldn't ignore.   
  
"Ok, dad," Trunks said, or rather yawned. "I'll see you in the morning."  
  
Satan Mansion  
As Gohan flew into Videl's open window, she began to stir, but Gohan didn't notice. Not wanting to ruin a chance to be in Gohan's arms, Videl pretended to be asleep. He gently placed her into her bed and pulled her covers up to her chin. He knelt down at her bed, watching her for awhile. He wanted to kiss her so bad, and it took all his energy not to.   
  
He sighed. "I hate not being able to tell you how I feel, Videl. But maybe, one day, you'll know the truth." (A/N: God, I write cheesy...)  
  
He got up, and flew out of the window, just as Videl's head popped up. She cocked her eyebrow in confusion and curiosity.   
  
- How he feels about what? The truth about what? I thought Gohan told me all his secrets. This must be big if he hasn't told me yet. But what could be bigger than him being alien or him saving the world from Cell?- Videl laid back down and snuggled in her covers. - This is seriously going to bother me...-  
  
Kumberelle's Domain  
The next morning, or rather earlier that morning, Kumberelle began her training. She could hardly concentrate though because the thought of death wouldn't leave her mind. She tried hard to focus on victory, but the possibility of defeat made her nervous. Her Saiyan instincts would not kick in, which was scaring her even more. If she couldn't be confident while training, how could she confident on the battlefield?  
  
And what really confused her was why she was worried in the first place. She was the strongest female Saiyan and she always had her intelligence to help her during battle, so why did she feel like this would be her last battle?   
  
Two words: Super Saiyan. She was deathly terrified of fighting a Super Saiyan. When she had a vision of Vegeta ascending to that level, she could feel his power growing, and continue to grow with every enemy he fought after that, and it scared her that someone could be so powerful. She had tried so hard to go to the next level after that, for over 7 years she tried, but she just couldn't, which made her feel ashamed to be a Saiyan at all, especially after encountering a Super Saiyan child. If a child could become a Super Saiyan with ease, why couldn't she? How could she win the battle if a mere child could possibly surpass her?   
  
Another thing bothered her as well, her telekinetic powers. She'd had to take off her earrings to fight so that she could use her ki, which would make her, along with any other bystanders, vulnerable to the results of one of her outbursts. She didn't know what she was capable of any more, her power hadn't gotten out of control in years. She just knew that as she got stronger, her outbreaks got more catastrophic. They caused more lives and more damage to the planet that she was on at the time, and to herself at times. She was afraid that something terrible would happen if she had another outburst, and she didn't know if fighting Vegeta was a good idea. She wanted to just leave, to get in her spaceship and head to that planet and rule it by herself, to forget about Vegeta and everything she had encountered in her short visit to the planet Earth. But she knew she couldn't just forget Vegeta, she had a strange mental link with him that was indestructible, and leaving would prove that she was a coward, something a Saiyan hated more than getting beaten.  
  
Kumberelle descended from the air where she was training and stretched out her right arm, keeping her fingers on her left hand on her forehead. She closed her eyes, focusing on her task, her hair and gi waving in the wind in the process. Her arm began to glow a brilliant red and she began to shake from concentrating too hard.   
  
- C'mon, Kumberelle- she told herself. - Do this.... you did it last night, you can do it again. C'mon.... focus....-  
  
A sword began to appear slowly in her right hand, glowing red as well. (A/N: Ok, I kind of ripped off this technique from a character from X-Men, so I'll disclaim this as well. God, I'm just not creative, am I?) She opened her eyes and smiled. Success.  
  
The red glow faded away, and she immediately went into a fighting stance, the sword now gripped tightly in both hands, just to see how it felt. She then rose again into the air and resumed her training with her new sword.   
  
A few days pass...  
Friday. For some it was just another day. For others, like Kumberelle, Gohan, and Videl, it came all too soon. For Videl, it reminded her that the next day was a certain anniversary that she'd like to forget. For Kumberelle, it meant that she only had one day until the ultimate battle between herself and the prince of her race. One day that might be her last. And for Gohan, the feeling was similar. Friday meant death, in a way. Friday was his date with Lucy.  
  
That day at school was the worst for Gohan. Everything seemed to go way too fast for his liking. And to top it all off, Lucy would not leave him alone all day (not that she left him alone any other day that week). She showed up at every one of his classes, even when he tried to ditch her. She even made him sit with her at lunch, leaving Videl to eat with Sharpner and Erasa, which left a pretty pissed off Satan. It was torture to see himself in someone other than Videl's arms, as it was for Videl to see Gohan in such predicament. But he kept telling himself that as soon as the date was over, he was going to find Videl and tell her his true feelings. But knowing himself, he figured he would chicken out again.   
  
For Vegeta, Friday meant a lot of things. It was the day before his battle with Kumberelle and last day of his training with his son. He had enjoyed spending time with his son, seeing where he was at in his fighting techniques and how strong he really was. Trunks proved impressive to his father, making him even more proud to have a son than he already was. But of course, he'd never admit that to anyone else.   
  
Friday also meant that it might be the last day to spend with his family. He didn't know why, but he felt like life was precious all of a sudden, and that he needed to prove to his family that he loved them. But they know that. Don't they? He hoped so.   
  
Son Residence  
Gohan leaned back in his desk chair, procrastinating. He really didn't want to go on his date, which was in an hour. All he wanted to do was see Videl, to hear her laughing with him, to see her smile. With Lucy constantly on his heels, Videl seemed to have been avoiding him the past few days. It depressed him. Videl was his best friend and he needed to have a friend more than anything right then because of what he was feeling: nervousness.  
  
His dread of the night during the school day had turned into nervousness and fright. He wanted to talk to his father, but decided that maybe it would be best to be alone. He needed to start solving his own problems sometime.   
  
He got up from his chair, deciding that it was time to get ready for his date with "the devil", and made his way to the shower. After getting out, he got dressed in some khakis and an oversized shirt to hide his muscles, then splashed on some cologne. While he was combing through his spiky hair and examining himself in the mirror, he couldn't help but smile. This girl thought the world of him, and she wasn't ugly or disabled or anything. And she wanted to go out with him. Him, Son Gohan. His very first date was taking place in a half hour. He couldn't help but feel pride for himself. Well, maybe pride wasn't the word for it. He was as conceited as Lucy was at this moment.   
  
His conceit made him nod his head and hum the tune to Outkast's, "So Fresh, So Clean." He did a spinning turn and then headed out of the bathroom door, doing a pimp type of walk while the words began to escape his mouth.   
  
"Ain't nobody dope as me," he began to sing as he headed to the fridge. "I'm dressed so fresh, so clean. So fresh and so clean, clean. Don't you think I'm so sexy, I'm dressed so fresh, so clean. So fresh and so clean, clean."   
  
"Gohan?" Chichi said, looking up from the pot of steamed rice she was cooking. "What on Earth are you talking about?"   
  
Gohan looked up from the open refrigerator door, grinned, and scratched the back of his head. "It's just a song, Mom."  
  
Chichi cocked an eyebrow then returned her attention to the food she was cooking, mumbling something about teenagers and their strange taste in music.   
  
Goku smiled from his seat at the table. "Looks like someone's excited about their date?"  
  
"DATE?" Chichi asked, appalled. "My baby boy's going on his first date and no one told me?"  
  
"Mom," Gohan groaned, while sneaking the death glare at his father for blabbing. "It's not that big a deal."  
  
"Not a big deal??!!" Chichi exclaimed, slamming her spoon on the stove. "How can my oldest son's first date not be a big deal? You could marry this girl! Oh I can see it now. The invitations will read, 'You are cordially invited to the wedding of Son Gohan and Videl Satan' Oh, and the grandchildren!!!!"   
  
"The date's not with Videl, Chi," Goku said for Gohan.   
  
Chichi looked confused. "Gohan, why would you go out with someone other than your girlfriend? I thought I raised you better than that! Explain, young man." She put her hands on her hips as she waited for his answer.   
  
"Well, it's a long story," Gohan said, rubbing his sensitive ears that were now soar because of Chichi's loud voice. "But I have to go or else I'll be late. See ya."  
  
Gohan hurried out of the door and called for the yellow Nimbus cloud to escape any further interrogation.   
  
"I'll tell you the whole story later, Chi," Goku said to his wife. "It's a long story, just like he said."  
  
The Cineplex  
Gohan arrived at the Cineplex with 5 minutes to spare. -Great, now I don't have to wait too long.-  
  
He stood outside the theatre patiently, half of him still conceited and wanting to see this girl that was so crazy about him, and his other half, the side of Gohan that we all know and love, hated the fact that he was going on a date with someone he barely knew, someone he had no feelings for in the first place. His nervousness was worse than the kind he felt his first time on the battlefield.   
  
About another 15 minutes had past and still no sign of Lucy. Another 10 minutes after that, still no Lucy. An hour after he arrived, no Lucy. Looks like this bitch isn't going to show.   
  
Sighing, half in relief and half in disappointment, Gohan headed back to his house, on foot this time, wanting to take some time to think. It was hard to describe what he was feeling. He hated being stood up, yes, but it was a relief not being able to see her or to have her hanging all over him like she had during that school week. It also hurt to be rejected, a feeling he couldn't shake no matter what other feelings that were inside him.   
  
And so he walked, for probably an hour before he realized that he was in the wrong direction. He turned around, but stopped when he saw a familiar raven-haired head walking in the park. Using his keen, Saiyan sense of sight, he could see that it was Videl, and by her ki, he could tell that she was upset.   
  
Gohan practically flew over to her. Sensing him, she didn't even turn to see him when she muttered a hello.  
  
"Wait, a minute," Videl said, now turning to him. "Aren't you supposed on a date with Lucy?" She said her name with animosity, but Gohan ignored it.   
  
"Yeah," Gohan said in response. "But she stood me up."  
  
"What?! I thought she liked you so much? I mean, she couldn't even take her eyes nor her hands off of you at school all week! What the hell? Oh my Dende, I'm going to kill that bitch on Monday! Nobody hurts my friends and gets away with it! I'm Videl Satan, damn it!"  
  
"It's ok, Videl. Calm down."  
  
"No! It's not ok. Why are you taking this so well, anyway?"  
  
Gohan sighed and scratched his head. "In a way, I'm sort of relieved. I was really nervous about it and Lucy's not all that great once you get to know her."  
  
Videl stifled back a laugh. - Not shit, Gohan.-  
  
"She's so conceited," Gohan added. "And she's a little stupid if you ask me."  
  
Videl laughed. "Gohan, you have no room to talk."  
  
Gohan frowned. "I'm not stupid. I just lack.... common sense."  
  
They both laughed and took a seat on one of the park benches.  
  
"I needed a good laugh," Videl said. "Today hasn't been a good day."  
  
"I noticed," Gohan replied. "What's got you down?"  
  
Videl sighed. - Do I want to tell him this? I might as well, even though it hurts to retell it. He told me all his secrets, I might as well tell him this. It's not nearly as big as what he's told me.-  
  
"Well," Videl started. "It's about my mom. I know I haven't told you much about her, but it's just that her death really hurts me to talk about. You see, the anniversary of her death is tomorrow."  
  
Gohan's eyes widened slightly. "Wow, Videl. I'm so sorry. How did she die?"  
  
"She died..." Videl started, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. "She died in a car crash. I was.... I don't know.... maybe about 6 or 7 when it happened..." Now she couldn't control her tears, and Gohan just held her in his arms, letting her cry into his chest. "I promised myself I wouldn't cry again.... I promised myself...."  
  
"It's ok to cry, Videl," Gohan said, stroking her hair. "Just let it out."  
  
So the two of them sat there, Videl crying relentlessly and Gohan gently soothing her, like a good friend would. They sat there for a about a half hour when Videl finally calmed down.   
  
"I'm sorry," Videl said, wiping her tears. "I didn't even tell you the whole story. I'm sorry for crying all over you like that."  
  
"It's ok," Gohan said. "What are friends for?" - So much for telling her how I feel about her...-  
  
Videl smiled. "So, are you going to watch Vegeta's fight with that one girl tomorrow?"  
  
"Well, I thought I was. But you just gave me a better idea of what to do tomorrow."  
  
"Oh really? What's that?"  
  
"Well, I was thinking. Since you obviously miss your mom a lot, why don't we bring her back?"  
  
"Are you saying that we collect the Dragonballs and wish her back?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
Videl jumped on Gohan and hugged him tightly. "Oh thank you, Gohan! This means so much to me!"   
  
Gohan blushed. "Uh, it's no problem, Videl."  
  
Videl broke the hug and stood up. "So, I'll meet you at your house early tomorrow morning, ok? I want to get an early start."  
  
Gohan stood up too. "Ok, sounds good."  
  
Videl smiled, the first time the whole week. They walked in silence to the Satan Mansion, each excited about the adventure they'd start the next day, Videl more excited than Gohan of course.   
  
She leaned over and kissed Gohan on the cheek. "Thanks for being such a good friend, Gohan. I appreciate it. I don't know what I'd do without you."  
  
Gohan blushed furiously for the second time that night. "It's.... no big deal.... really."  
  
Videl smiled and waved a goodbye before disappearing into her house and up to her room. She jumped onto her bed, too happy for words to describe. - I finally get to see my mom again. Just when I thought things were the worst they could be, I get my mom back. Now all I need is Gohan, and everything will be perfect.-  
  
C.C.  
Vegeta awoke early that Saturday morning to get some last minute training in, without Trunks. He felt like he needed to catch up because "the brat held him back". But when he got into the Gravity Room, he suddenly didn't feel like training, possibly the first time in his life that he didn't want to. He just leaned against the wall deep in thought, once again rethinking the life that he'd lived and how much he changed. The thought of leaving his family forever crossed his mind again, so he decided to do something so that his family would know that he loved them, in case he never got a chance to say it.   
  
He ran out of the G.R. and down to the nearest store. Scanning through the aisles, he decided on what to buy the two members of his family quicker than he thought it would take. He knew his family better than he thought.   
  
He took the items up to the counter for the cashier to ring them up, like he'd seen these inferior Earthlings do before.   
  
"Ok, sir," a cheerful blonde woman said to Vegeta. "That'll be $ 255. 95 (A/N: Just a random price that popped into my head, it doesn't matter what it really might be, now does it?)."  
  
"$255.95?" Vegeta repeated.   
  
The blonde girl nodded, and Vegeta just stared at her like she was retarded, which she most likely was, after all, she was a blonde (A/N: No offense to any blondes that might be reading this. It's just that all the blondes I know are dumbasses).   
  
"I'm not paying for that," Vegeta said, finally. "I am the Prince of all Saiyans! I will not pay for anything!"  
  
The blonde woman cocked her head to side in confusion. "Uh, that you may be, sir, but like you still must pay for the items you want to purchase, just like everyone else."  
  
Vegeta snorted, ki blasted the cash register, and said, "Pay for that" before exiting the store with his items.   
  
The woman was so stunned that she didn't even bother to report the incident to the police. She just shrugged her shoulders and continued to act like the ditzy blonde that she was to the rest of the customers.   
  
Vegeta walked back into the house and set each of the items that he "bought" in areas where Bulma and Trunks could see them when they woke up. He scribbled a note to go with each one, and left the house in search of Kumberelle so that they could possibly fight a little earlier than originally scheduled. He didn't know whether or not he would be able to find her because of her ki shields, he just wanted an excuse to leave the house.   
  
Trunks awoke minutes later and crawled out of bed, groggily. He walked over to the door, but stopped when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Next to his bed was a Playstation 2 with a note attached to it. The note read:  
  
Brat,  
I've noticed that all those human brats seem to like these game contraptions, so I decided to pick one up for you. You have been a good training partner, and you deserve this. And I wanted to let you know, that I'm proud of you.   
  
- Your father  
  
Trunks smiled and immediately went to hook up his new game console in his room.   
  
Bulma woke up a few minutes later and noticed that Vegeta was gone. - Must be training.-   
  
She put on her robe and was about to go start on breakfast when she noticed something different about her dresser. She walked over to it, her eyes still focusing. She picked up the object in front of her and smiled when she finally saw what it was.   
  
- Who would give me a dozen roses?- (A/N: Remember, this is Vegeta. He's not human, he wouldn't normally be all nice and stuff. And why do women like those things? I mean, I'm a girl and everything, but I would be like, "What the fuck is this shit?" if someone gave me roses, but I'm not normal, so... yeah... stop reading this worthless Author's Note!)   
  
She picked up the note next to it which read:  
  
Woman,  
I decided to do something nice for you and the brat, since I haven't before, so I got you each a gift. I heard all those human women go crazy over these things, why I will never understand, but I got you some anyway. Also, I've already left for my battle with Kumberelle, and I wanted to let you know, that I love you, woman.  
  
- Vegeta  
  
Bulma was filled with both surprise and happiness after she read the note. She wiped away a tear that had escaped from her eyes and went to the kitchen to start breakfast as she normally would, when part of the letter registered in her mind: I've already left for my battle.   
  
- Oh, Dende. Please protect him.... Please.-  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
Wow, that was pretty boring, don't you think? I just keep getting cornier and more typical in every chapter. It sickens me. Let me know if it was stupid or not in your reviews. Be honest. This really sucks, I have no clue what's going to happen with this story, I'm just as surprised that it turned out this way like you probably are. I really didn't expect to even get past the first chapter, but those reviews helped a lot. I got a feeling that this fic will last 2 or 3 more chapters, hopefully longer than this one. Oh, and check out my new t/p fic entitled, "Hope". Anyway, let me know about the mailing list and keep reviewing!!! 


	7. Chapter 7

Ok, here's the next chapter. Needless to say, I'm really confused. Half the people that I was asked to put on my mailing list didn't even read it, or if they did, they didn't review. I'm kind of disappointed. But oh well, it is summertime, people have lives nowadays. Unlike me, I spend my time working on my stories and reading Danielle Steel books, when I'm not sleeping all day. I've turned completely nocturnal, I think.   
  
Special Thanks to Reviews from:  
Flareon0301/SaiyanCat  
Angel  
Diane  
  
I love y'all! All three of y'all! And Diane, that was the longest review I've ever gotten... I think. Thank you!  
  
~ Important~  
~...~ bond communication  
*...* flashbacks  
-...- thoughts  
(A/N:...) Author's Notes  
~*~ This is the symbol I'm going to use when I switch from the battle to the onlookers nearby.   
  
Disclaimer: Too poor to own something as productive as DBZ. By now, the character that I own should be pretty obvious.   
  
  
  
Videl smiled as she flew to the Son house. She was completely ecstatic, even though it was quite early in the morning. Nothing could crush her mood, not even the argument that she'd had with her father before she left. She just ignored it, it was his usual bullshit about Gohan being a "skinny little punk not worthy of occupying all of his daughter's time". Hercule wasn't going to get her down today. Nobody was.   
  
She landed in front of the house, her smile widening at the thought of seeing her crush. She knocked on the door and soon she was greeted by a smiling Son Chichi.   
  
"Hello, Videl," She said, always happy to see her "future daughter-in-law". "How are you today?"  
  
Videl stepped inside and smiled warmly at Chichi. She'd grown to like her in the last couple months, once she got used to her frequent outbursts about grandchildren. "I'm fine. And you?"  
  
"Great," Chichi always seemed to be beaming now that Goku was back. "What brings you here so early?"  
  
"Gohan and I were going to go looking for the Dragonballs so that we could wish my mother back." She smiled again. It was just a perfect day.   
  
"Oh, well I hope you have good luck. You can go on ahead to his room and wake him up."  
  
Videl nodded and flashed another smile in Chichi's direction before disappearing down the hall.   
  
- I hope Gohan makes a move while they're gone.- Chichi thought as she went back to her cooking. - Dende only knows I can't wait forever for grandchildren.-  
  
Videl slowly opened the door to Gohan's room, and almost drooled when she saw him. He was sprawled over the bed in just his boxers, smiling in his sleep with drool about to escape his own mouth. Videl didn't even want to know what he was dreaming about as she crept closer to him. She was about to shake him a little bit, but he detected a ki near him and sprung up suddenly, grabbing her wrists. She was so startled she almost screamed.   
  
"Oh," Gohan said, when he was fully awake, still holding onto her wrists. "It's just you, Videl."  
  
Videl raised an eyebrow. "Just me? What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."  
  
Then there eyes met, and they stood there, silent. The nice shade of blue that her eyes were was turning him into a pool of mush, as they always did, and his black, mysterious-looking eyes gave her a similar effect. They slowly inched towards each other, Gohan still holding her wrists firmly. Their eyes closed... their hearts began to beat faster and faster... they were so close they could feel each other's breath on their faces.... and then.... then....  
  
"Gohan!" Goten screamed as he ran into the room.   
  
Videl and Gohan jumped a mile apart and blushed slightly, thinking of what they almost did. And they each hated the little Goku clone for ruining it.   
  
"What do you want, Goten?" Gohan almost groaned.   
  
"I wanted to wake you up, brother," Goten said as he walked over and stood in between Videl and Gohan. "But it looks like Videl beat me to it." Then a mischievous grin spread across his face. "You two weren't about to kiss were you?"  
  
Both Gohan and Videl blushed and wondered how innocent little Goten caught onto that one when he never caught on to anything else so quickly. Must be hanging around Trunks too much.   
  
"Goten!" Gohan said through gritted teeth.   
  
"Well, you were kind of close. It was just a quest-"  
  
"OUT!"  
  
"Ok, ok. Jeez, Gohan, calm down."   
  
Gohan picked him up and placed him outside of the room, then closed his door, but Goten stopped him, surprisingly.   
  
"What do you want, Goten?" Gohan was starting to wonder how he kept his sanity with that little bundle of embarrassing questions around.   
  
"I just wanted to say that whenever you do kiss Videl, don't blow it," He said, suddenly sounding too much like Trunks for Gohan's liking. "I like her, and she'll make a good.... uh... sister-in-law... or whatever they're called."  
  
"Goodbye, Goten," Gohan said through gritted teeth as he slammed the door in his little brother's face. Then he turned to Videl with a much gentler look on his face. "I'll go get changed and eat and then we can go. Ok?"  
  
Videl nodded and watched him as he grabbed some clothes and walked into the bathroom to use the shower. She kept her sapphire eyes fixated on his backside the whole time, and when she noticed what she was doing, she smacked herself. - Get a grip, girl!-  
  
Later at C.C.  
Bulma laid down the rest of the breakfast she'd cooked for herself and Trunks and then sat down miserably as Trunks came bounding into the kitchen, grinning from ear to ear.   
  
"Guess what, Mom?" Trunks said happily as he sat at the table. "Dad got me a Playstation 2! Isn't that great?"  
  
Bulma nodded sadly as she picked at the food on her plate. She was too worried about Vegeta to eat.   
  
Trunks noticed something was wrong and became concerned. "What's wrong, Mom?"  
  
"You're father already left for his battle," She replied, looking as though he were already dead as she said the words.   
  
"He did?" Trunks' eyes widened and she nodded at him again. He quickly grabbed a few pancakes, got up, and ran out of the house, shouting, "I gotta go watch him! Bye!"  
  
She ran outside just as he took off into the air and screamed, "Be careful!"  
  
"Hey, Bulma," Gohan said as he and Videl landed moments later. "Where's Trunks going?"  
  
Bulma sighed as she invited them inside. "Vegeta already left for his battle."  
  
Gohan was surprised too. "Wow. I wish I could watch it."  
  
Bulma nodded again. "So what brings you here today?"  
  
"We came to see if we could use your Dragon Radar. We're going to wish Videl's mother back."  
  
Bulma nodded and disappeared to go find the radar, and when she came back, she looked even more worried and depressed. The thought had just come into her mind that if Vegeta died, she'd never see him again, and the Dragonballs would be useless because he'd already died once. She tried not to show her sadness but Gohan saw it in her eyes.   
  
"Good luck," she murmured as she handed the radar to him and sat back down at the table to stare at the mountains of food that would go to waste.   
  
Gohan walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure Vegeta will be fine. He's always training, and she couldn't have become a Super Saiyan. Don't worry about it."  
  
Bulma smiled at his kindness, but still, she didn't quite believe that was exactly true. She had a weird feeling that something bad would happen that day, and she was usually right whenever she felt that way. And if she was right, she didn't know how she would ever deal with it. Even through all of the arguments the Prince of the Saiyans put her through, she still loved him, and always would, and she knew he loved her too. Their bond confirmed it.   
  
She knew one thing at that moment: she would be devastated if he died that day.   
  
"Thanks, kid," She said, faking a smile so he wouldn't get worried.   
  
Gohan nodded and left with Videl on their quest to revive a woman who was deeply missed, while Bulma wondered if Vegeta would be put to his final resting place.   
  
Speaking of which, Vegeta was still flying, in search of any kind of unfamiliar ki that was strong enough to be inhuman, but found none. He figured Kumberelle was still wearing her ki shields, and he wondered why in hell was he so anxious to find her anyway. He knew she was horribly strong when she let herself think of her traumatic past, that her power was too much to even fathom in a female Saiyan. He felt it when she showed him the images of her past, and he had to admit, it scared him a little bit. If she'd been training as hard as he thought she was, if she had even copied his fighting style, then she could very well be as strong as him, or even stronger. But that was highly unlikely. Female Saiyans were generally weaker than males, until they had eye contact with the full moon. Then they were the strongest, but Vegeta didn't have to worry about that, since Piccolo destroyed the moon a long time ago.   
  
But still, her power bothered him. She was the strongest female on Vegeta-sei (A/N: Vegeta-sei sounds a lot better than Planet Vegeta, doesn't it?) when she was just five years old, she had almost killed the horrible tyrant, Frieza, when she was three, and her mental power seemed to exceed her regular power sometimes. But the real thing that bothered him, was that she couldn't control herself when she tapped into it. It was almost like when Kakkarot's brat went Oozaru (A/N: That's when they turn into the huge ape monsters, for those of you who didn't know. I don't think they made a name for it in the American version, so I just used this name.), he became ruthless, and so would she. Then again, she'd have been ruthless anyway, since she was a "true Saiyan".  
  
It was all so confusing. She'd told him a great deal of her past, more than she would ever tell anyone, and yet, she was still so mystifying. She seemed so frightened when she saw that his brat was a Super Saiyan, but yet she seemed happy to fight him when he brought it up. She'd been so dedicated into getting him to come with her to rule that planet, she claimed to have visions of him, she claimed to have a special and unexplainable bond with him, and yet, she seemed more than willing to kill him or be killed by him. Was it all a plan? Was she working for someone much stronger that made her come to Earth to look for him? Why was it that she had visions of him? Why had she tried to kill Bulma? He asked himself a million questions as he searched for her relentlessly. This woman who seemed to haunt him was suddenly here, explained what had happened to her over the years, and still, she was a mystery he had to solve, but wasn't sure he could or even wanted to. He just wanted to kill her and get it over with now. Then maybe he could live in peace without visions of her haunting him.   
  
He stopped when he felt something weird, a new ki. He looked down and smirked. - Speak of the devil.-  
  
Kumberelle had just taken off her earrings to do some last minute training when she felt his ki above her. - Shit.-  
  
Vegeta lowered himself down to her slowly, still smirking, and she matched his smirk, trying to look confident.   
  
"Couldn't wait to see me, eh?" She asked, still smirking.   
  
Vegeta frowned for a second, not sure how she meant that comment, but quickly regained his composure. "I couldn't wait to kill you, if that's what you mean. Let's get this over with."  
  
Kumberelle's smirk faded momentarily as she felt a surge of fear that she hadn't felt since the day her father died. It was here... the moment of truth.... the battle she'd been preparing herself for, for 5 days, and now it was here... way too soon. But there was no backing down now... she had to do it, no matter how terrified she was.   
  
Her confident act reappeared as she bowed to him, no longer as a sign of respect, but as a sign of mockery. The respect she seemed to have only days before had vanished. "As you wish, Prince Vegeta."  
  
Son House  
Goku cocked his head to the side as his plate began to shake on the table. He felt a ki skyrocket soon after, which confirmed that his stomach hadn't been growling louder than he thought.   
  
"What on Earth is going on?" Chichi asked, as she tried to set more dishes on the table, but they only seemed to crash to the floor in the end. "Is it an earthquake?"  
  
Goku shook his head, concentrating hard, forgetting his empty stomach. "It's Vegeta. He must be starting his battle early."  
  
"His ki scares me," Goten said, an adorably frightened look on his face. He and his father had grown pretty close in the few days that he was back on Earth, and they both would be devastated when it was time for him to leave. Goten wanted to be with his father more than anything now that he was there. But as Goku explained to him before, "You can't stop the inevitable". It was something he'd just have to understand.   
  
"It is pretty scary, kid," Goku replied.   
  
"Who's Vegeta fighting?" Chichi asked, after another failed attempt at bringing dishes to the table.   
  
She got no answer, only concentrated looks from her husband and youngest son.   
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Goten are you coming with me?" Goku asked as he brought two fingers up to his forehead.   
  
"Yep," Goten said as he grabbed onto his father's arm, and soon, they disappeared from the kitchen.   
  
This time Chichi broke her set of dishes herself, an angry look on her face that could only be achieved by an anime character. "They never tell me anything! Arrrgh!"  
  
The Battlefield (A/N: Dun, Dun, DUN!)  
Kumberelle looked up at a mountain when she felt another ki join them. It was Vegeta's lavender-haired brat. - Great, I have an audience now.-   
  
As soon as she put her attention back to the Saiyan in front of her, her head snapped back up in that direction when she felt two new kis join them. She turned up just in time to see Kakkorot and his youngest brat materialize out of nowhere. She blinked. - Did that just happen?-  
  
~*~  
  
"Ahhh!" Trunks screamed, startled by Goku and Goten's sudden appearance. "Oh, it's just you. Did anyone ever tell you that Instant Trans-whatever thing you do is annoying, Goku?"   
  
Goku rubbed the back of his head, confused. "Yeah, actually people have. What's the deal with that?"  
  
Just then, Tein, Yamcha, Krillin, 18, and Piccolo flew to the scene, all having felt the major ki surge.   
  
"What's going on down there?" Yamcha asked Goku. "Who's the chick? She's kind of cute." (A/N: I really want to kill Yamcha in this fic, but it wouldn't make any sense, would it?)  
  
Goku then went on to explain it to everyone, the same story that Vegeta had told him just days before. He didn't leave out a thing, and put emphasis on the mental power she had, earning a shocked, "Oh" from the group. Of course Piccolo already knew that information, seeing as how he lived with God, a.k.a. Dende.   
  
"A female Saiyan, huh?" Krillin said in amazement.   
  
"Yep." Goku said.   
  
"This battle should be interesting," Tein said as he walked up to get a closer look. "If Vegeta hurries up and stops powering up."  
  
"No kidding," Yamcha added, still staring at the woman below. "He looks like he's going to bust a gut down there."  
  
"That or shit on himself," Krillin commented, getting a small laugh from the rest of the group, except Trunks, who was glaring daggers at the formerly bald man. But Trunks decided that the little man didn't deserve to die yet, he did have a family and all.   
  
~*~  
  
Kumberelle inwardly groaned as she saw the rest of the people who were gathered now as Vegeta finished his power up. -What's next? A camera crew?-  
  
Vegeta smirked when she returned attention to him, but was disappointed when she didn't seem effected by his power. He saw no fear, no shock, no nothing in her eyes. Just a blank look that couldn't be described.   
  
Inside, she was really feeling fear, but she wouldn't let him know. She refused to. He was like a dog, she couldn't let him sense terror or else he'd pounce on her, knowing that she'd panic and let him do it. So she took a deep breath and began her own short, but effective power up. It wasn't as dramatic as Vegeta's but it got a lot of shocked responses from the bystanders perched on the mountain.   
  
~*~  
  
"Wow," Yamcha said after she revealed her power to everyone. "She's pretty strong."  
  
"She actually has a chance!" Krillin was astonished.   
  
"You didn't think she wouldn't because she's a woman, did you?" his wife asked, still in her usually monotone voice.   
  
"Uh.. no..." Krillin said, afraid of the look she was giving him.   
  
"Better not."  
  
"But remember," Piccolo commented. "She could still very well be a lot stronger. She still has the telekinesis, the telepathy. This could only be the beginning."  
  
"Yeah," Trunks said as he watched his father intently. "The beginning of her end."  
  
~*~  
  
Vegeta smirked once again after she finished powering up and got into a fighting stance. Her power was pretty close to Vegeta's, but he could easily clobber her if he wanted to. He wasn't even a Super Saiyan yet. - This should be easier than I thought. I could have some fun with this. But of course... she hasn't snapped yet. No, I won't let her get that far! I am the Prince of all Saiyans! No one can defeat me!-  
  
"Except maybe Kakkorot," Kumberelle said as a devious smirk spread across her face.   
  
"Stop reading my thoughts, woman!" Vegeta was outraged. "Do you have a death wish? I'd be happy to grant that wish for you and send you straight to Hell!"   
  
"Not unless I send you there first," Kumberelle said as she got into a similar fighting stance. "No, you'd probably get sent to the Other World now that you've gotten... soft." She put special emphasis on the last word, knowing it would make him snap. And she was right.   
  
Vegeta growled as he lunged his fist at her. Kumberelle blocked it, along with several other kicks and punches that he threw at her.   
  
"Is this it?" Kumberelle teased. "I was hoping to get a workout with this one."  
  
Vegeta growled again and picked up the pace. Kumberelle was totally surprised and let her guard down for one second too late. His fist connected with her face sending her backwards a little, but it was his foot that came crashing into her that sent her into a nearby mountain, crashing it into pieces.   
  
However, she quickly regained control and flew from under the rubble, lunging her fist at Vegeta, but much to her surprise, he faded out and reappeared in the air. Kumberelle's face turned into a Vegeta-like scowl as she flew up to him and started another session of punches and kicks, this time with Vegeta on the receiving end. He was amazed by how fast she was, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He quickly caught one fist, then the other, then head-butted her hard. Kumberelle stumbled backwards and soon Vegeta's elbow to the head sent her crashing down to the ground, forming a huge crater in it.   
  
~*~  
  
"Wow, look at them go!" Goten exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement. "They're so fast I can barely them!"   
  
"I can't see them at all, kid," Tein said, slightly ashamed that he couldn't see it when he was the one with the third eye.   
  
"My dad's going to win!" Trunks exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air. "He's winning! He's winning!"  
  
"Not so fast, kid," Piccolo said. "They're just warming up."  
  
~*~  
  
Kumberelle slowly picked herself up from the new crater that she was in. She was surprised and slightly confused at how bad she was hurting at the moment, and more than once she thought of retreating to her ship, typing in a random course, and taking off, never to see Vegeta again. But she knew that she couldn't, she wouldn't let herself be a coward and take off. She was going to finish this thing whether she liked to or not. That was just the way it was going to be.   
  
Vegeta lowered himself down to the ground with his arms crossed over his chest and the usual smirk plastered on his face. He knew how much pain she was in and he was eating it up. If he could do so much damage without even turning into a Super Saiyan, she definitely didn't have a chance. This was a good match for him.   
  
Kumberelle wiped away a trickle of blood and her tail unraveled from her waist and flicked wildly behind her, showing that her Saiyan blood was indeed pumping and eagerly awaiting more of the fight. She no longer had a smirk on her face, but a serious, determined look as she got back into a fighting stance.   
  
The look on her face only amused Vegeta, instead of intimidate him. He got into a fighting stance as well and said, "It seems you do have a death wish. Well, I'd be more than happy to oblige. That was a good warm-up... now let's start the real thing."  
  
Kumberelle nodded and took another deep breath to calm herself. - It's now.... or never.-  
  
Gohan and Videl's Search...  
Videl peeked into a small cave, looking for any unusual dinosaurs or other creatures. Seeing that it was safe, she got on all fours and crawled into it, looking for the fourth Dragonball in the darkness.   
  
"Are you sure it's in here?" She called back to Gohan. "I can't see a damn thing!"  
  
Gohan looked at the Dragon Radar just to make to sure, then stuck his head back in the entrance of the cave. "Yep, I'm positive."  
  
Videl inwardly groaned as she felt around the ground of the cave for the desired Dragonball. - He'd better be lucky he's so cute, otherwise there's no way in hell I'd do this.-  
  
Then she got an idea. She closed her eyes and concentrated hard, trying to flare up her ki in order to bring some light into the dark cave. She smiled when she had success, and immediately saw the four star Dragonball. She grabbed it and backed out of the cave.   
  
"I got it!" She said happily as she handed it to Gohan and dusted off her clothes.  
  
"Great," Gohan said smiling at her enthusiasm. "Now all we have left are 3 more."  
  
"Let's take a break," Videl suggested.   
  
"Good idea."  
  
Videl followed Gohan as they flew to a secluded forest area, much like the one that he lived in. They laid down on the grassy floor in silence, each totally absorbed in their thoughts.   
  
Videl was wondering how life would be when her mother was wished back. She was so excited she felt like one of those preppy girls at school, and almost retched at the sight that she was in. But she couldn't help it. She missed her mother so much and it would be wonderful to have her back. She could talk to her about her problems, among a lot of other things. Of course she always had Gohan to talk to, she could talk to him about everything, but let's face it, there's just some things that would better be discussed with a female. And of course there was Erasa for that, but she always felt like she was bothering Erasa. She was much closer to Gohan, and now with her mother coming back, she finally felt like her life was worth living.   
  
Wait, what would her father think? She hadn't thought of that. There would be no in way in hell that they could work out a relationship again. Her father was always parading around with new bimbos every week, he was way too used to the single life. So, they'd kind of be divorced in way. But she didn't care, either way was fine to her. As long as her mom was home, back to her, everything else didn't matter.   
  
Gohan was currently stuck on his usual internal debate, whether or not to tell Videl how he really feels about her. It didn't seem as simple as he thought it would be. If he told her, there was always the possibility that she liked someone else, or that she thought he was incredibly ugly or stupid for even liking her in that way. That would destroy him, but there was also the possibility that she felt the same way, or that she liked him, but not in that way, and didn't want to hurt his feelings. His life seemed way too confusing for comprehension. He wasn't sure of much anymore.   
  
Only one thing came clear to him lately. He knew that he was indeed falling in love with Videl Satan. That week in school with Lucy tagging along with him all day, and calling him non stop, made him really believe he was in love with her. Words couldn't describe how bad he felt without Videl being near him, he felt terribly lonely, even with Lucy constantly at his heels. The only explanation he could get was that he was falling in love with her. Now all he had to do was confess and get it over with.   
  
- Sad,- He thought. - I've faced the most powerful beings in the universe since I was 5 and yet I can't even tell a girl with pig tails in her hair that I love her.-   
  
Videl glanced over at her friend, wondering what he was thinking about, and decided to break the uneasy silence. She told him the whole story about her mother's death, along with other anecdotes of her early childhood, before the Cell Games. It was all so wonderful until her mother died, she said. Hercule was an actual father and her mother was always around when she needed her, and then one day it all crashed and burned, literally. And she never quite got over it, and he told her that he never got over his father's death either. He told her that he felt like it was all his fault, because he let his Saiyan side control him. He never forgave himself for that. And he never would. But they were both in good spirits as they talked about the tragedies of their childhoods. They had no reason to grieve now. After all, they were happy and they had people who cared about them. And most of all, they had each other.   
  
"So, do you think Vegeta will win his battle?" Videl asked a few minutes later.   
  
"He definitely has a good chance," Gohan replied. "But from what I was feeling earlier, so does she. It's hard to tell. She could go psycho at any minute and Vegeta, along with everyone else on this planet, just might be in deep shit."  
  
"True," Videl agreed. "If I was Vegeta, I wouldn't have given her time to train or anything, I'd have killed her on the spot! She tried to kill his wife for Dende's sake!"  
  
"Yeah, but you know Vegeta. He's always looking for a nice, long fight. It's in his blood."  
  
"So what. He still shouldn't have given her time, she could've escaped."  
  
"Nah, she's a Saiyan. Saiyans don't pass up a good fight."  
  
"So I've heard," Videl smiled as she spoke. "I like fighting too. Maybe I'm really a Saiyan."  
  
Gohan laughed. "I seriously doubt it. But you are pretty strong for a human." He grinned and added, "I sure know one person who's going to wish they were already dead once they see you pissed off at school on Monday."  
  
Videl grinned mischievously, eagerly awaiting the fight she was going to pick with Lucy for standing up Gohan. "Damn straight. No one hurts my friends like that! I'm Videl Satan damn it! When I'm through with her, she'll have to shit out those pompoms if she ever wants to cheerlead again! Stupid preppy ass bitch..."   
  
Gohan smiled at her as she rambled on and on about what a dumb bitch Lucy was. She looked so evil when she talked about killing Lucy that it amused him. All she needed was horns to sprout out of her head and her evilness would be complete.   
  
"...I mean who does she think she is!" Videl exclaimed, getting more and more pissed off by the second. "She practically pissed on herself when I told her that you wanted to go out with her, she was so excited. And then she stands you up! What the fuck is that about! Dende, I swear, I'll be in jail tomorrow after I rip her head off and shove it straight up her preppy little ass!"  
  
Gohan smiled again at the fuss she was making over HIM. - Dende, I love this woman.-   
  
Back to the Battlefield (A/N: Dun, Dun, DUN!)  
Once again Kumberelle hit the ground with a sickening thud, adding another crater to the ground. She was still confused as to how she could be so worn out, they were just barely getting started. As she slowly picked herself up, she coughed up blood, and as soon as her ship came into view in the distance, she had a great desire to run over to it and escape. But she knew she wouldn't. Not now, not ever.   
  
"C'mon," Vegeta taunted from the air. "That couldn't have hurt that bad. I'm just warming up."  
  
Kumberelle scowled as she fired a huge ki blast in his direction, which he dodged, but he wasn't able to dodge Kumberelle's fist, which sent him backwards a little bit, but the repeated kicks and punches that she threw at him afterward, all connected. For once, he was sent down the ground, but he caught himself and flipped back up into the air.   
  
"Not good enough," Vegeta said. "But good try."  
  
Kumberelle growled as she threw her fist at him again, but he caught it and smirked. He was toying with her and she knew it. -Why won't he just end it now?... No, he's not going to win. I can win damn it! I know I can!-   
  
She lifted her free hand up and formed a ki blast in it. He dodged it quickly as she fired it, and then, once she had him distracted, she kicked him as hard as she could, right in the stomach. He doubled over and clutched his stomach as she drove her elbow into his back repeatedly until he finally went crashing to the ground.   
  
She followed him down and kicked him back up into the air before he could hit the ground, then followed him back up and elbowed him back down. She then continued that routine, finally enjoying the battle.   
  
~*~  
  
"Uh oh," Goku said. "Looks like she has the advantage now."  
  
"Let's just hope she doesn't snap," Piccolo added, as the others watched in amazement. In a matter of seconds the battle did a complete turn around.  
  
"No!" Trunks exclaimed, on the verge of tears. "C'mon, Dad! Beat her! You were winning before, you can do it again!"   
  
"Don't worry, Trunks," Goku said as he patted the kid on the shoulder. "This is just a few little punches and kicks. He had the advantage the whole time until now. It could just be luck. Don't worry, he'll win."  
  
Trunks smiled at him and then turned back around to cheer his father on.   
  
~*~  
  
Kumberelle was enjoying kicking Vegeta around like a rag doll. But it didn't last long. Just as she was about to kick him back up into the air, Vegeta grabbed her foot and swung her around by it. She let out a scream as he let her go and sent her flying into a mountain, earning cheers from Trunks and Goten that made him smirk.   
  
He floated over to the rubble that once was a mountain, waiting for her to emerge. But she never did.   
  
"Is she dead?" He asked himself. "No, she couldn't be. I didn't put that much effort into it."   
  
Little did he know, she had faded out right after hitting the mountain and reappeared behind another mountain, to create another sword with her mind. She knew once she started to concentrate her power, he would detect her, but she didn't care. She was desperate.   
  
As Vegeta tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for his opponent to come forward, his head snapped up. He detected her ki, and immediately blew up the mountain that she was hiding behind. His eyes widened when he saw what she was doing.   
  
- Concentrate..- Kumberelle thought over and over again. - Focus..-  
  
A figure of a sword flashed in and out of view as she shook from concentrating so hard and putting so much energy into making the sword. Vegeta was not only shocked, but confused as well.   
  
"What the hell are you doing?"   
  
~*~  
  
"What the hell is she doing?" Krillin asked, half to himself.   
  
"I don't know," Goku replied, his mouth half open as he looked at Kumberelle. "It looks like... like..."  
  
"She's creating a sword with her mind," Piccolo cut in.   
  
"She can do that?" Goku said, astounded.   
  
"Apparently so."  
  
"Whoa."  
  
~*~  
  
- Hurry up!- Kumberelle mentally chided herself. As if on command, the sword appeared in her left hand, and she let out a sigh of relief. - Finally.-  
  
"What is this?" Vegeta demanded, totally puzzled as to how a sword just appeared out of thin air.   
  
She waved the sword tauntingly at him and smirked. "What's the matter, Prince Vegeta? Never seen one of these before?"  
  
"Of course I have!" Vegeta barked. "How the hell did it just appear in your hand out of nowhere."  
  
"Well," Kumberelle replied as she walked up to him. "I can create them with my mind. It's a little trick I learned from some race on one of the pathetic planets I purged. I must have failed to mention it." She added, feigning innocence.   
  
Without another word, she swiped at him with her sword repeatedly, Vegeta blocking each furious stroke. Again he looked amused at her determination, and couldn't help but taunt her a little bit. I mean really, what good would a fight be if no one talked a little shit?  
  
"You're sword doesn't appear to be helping you very much," He teased. "Some gift."  
  
Kumberelle became enraged with that comment. She was putting her all into this fight and she was beginning to become irritated with him. She felt she didn't deserve this, any of it. She came to Earth to take him away, for him to be of royalty again, and to fulfill this emptiness that she had inside of her. But if she was going to die, or if he was going to die today, what was it worth now? She'd come for nothing, absolutely nothing. But now that she was here, fighting him, she would not let him win, Super Saiyan or not. And with one amazingly powerful stroke of her sword, she finally cut him. She made a long gash that stretched across his stomach.   
  
Vegeta couldn't believe it, and neither could Kumberelle. They both stopped and stared as Vegeta ran his hand over his new scar and pulled his white glove up to eye level. Seeing the red stain only infuriated him beyond understanding. He transformed into a Super Saiyan and grabbed the sword, shattering it into tiny pieces.   
  
She just stood there stunned as he punched her in the face, then in the gut, then a uppercut until she was on the ground coughing up blood. But instead of waiting for her to get up on her own, he took it upon himself to pull her up by her hair, and then he repeatedly punched her in the stomach, still holding onto her hair.   
  
~*~  
  
"Yeah, go Dad!" Trunks exclaimed, jumping up and down.   
  
"Looks like Vegeta's got this one under control!" Goku said.   
  
"He sure does," Yamcha replied, still stunned that she had created a sword using her mind.   
  
"Not so fast," Piccolo, the always conservative Namek, added. "It could very well end with Kumberelle winning. The fight's not over yet. Not all things are what they appear to be."  
  
Trunks turned around and glared at the tall green man and walked over to him. "So you're saying my Dad doesn't have a chance? Look at him!" He pointed down to the battlefield. "He's beating the crap outta her!"   
  
"I see that," Piccolo replied, surprised at the boy's tone. "But that doesn't mean that she can't come back and-"  
  
"My dad is the greatest fighter in the universe!" Trunks screamed, poking a finger in the Namek's chest. "My dad is the Prince of all Saiyans! He can do anything! ANYTHING!"  
  
He walked back over to where he was standing, leaving a confused and shocked Piccolo to do nothing but blink a couple of times.   
  
~*~  
  
Vegeta smirked as he finally dropped Kumberelle back down on her face, having heard his son's words. - At least he has faith in me... then again... he is the only person up there that counts.-  
  
Then he turned his attention down to Kumberelle and kicked her in her side. "Had enough yet? Ready for me to end your life?"  
  
Kumberelle curled up in a ball, her whole body aching. It was so unfair, so hard to understand, and it happened so quickly. She hated losing, but she felt like she was going to that day. She almost shuddered at the thought, and figured she might as well let him end it all than keep on trying to win. It was hopeless. There was nothing she had to do now anyway. She couldn't keep destroying planets, there was no point in it now, and she definitely couldn't go rule the planet that she talked to Vegeta about. One of the reasons why she came to him anyway was that he was of the Saiyan royal bloodline, she didn't know a thing about running a planet. And there was the matter about the "bond" that they shared. If she died, she wouldn't have to worry about that emptiness, but if she won, she would.   
  
Dying sounding very appealing to her right then and there, but then she stopped herself from saying the words. What if what she really needed to be complete was to close this chapter in her life, to move on and stop the constant visions of him? She hadn't thought of that. All she knew was that if she found him, maybe she could be complete again, but she hadn't thought that maybe killing him and stopping the bond would fill the void. That certainly held great appeal. Then she reminded herself that their so-called King killed her father, and sent her away from the only planet she'd ever known. Why did she come here to devote herself to his stupid child? Now she knew what she had to do.   
  
Slowly but surely she stood herself up and got into a shaky fighting stance, much to Vegeta's amusement.   
  
"Very well," He said, smirking. "Have it your way."  
  
- I will win this.- Kumberelle thought. - I will win this for you, father, and for you, mother, if not for myself. I will not let him gain another victory. It was his father that killed my father. I'll just have to get my revenge on his son. So what if I thought I "needed" him. Maybe this is even better. Maybe proving that I'm not some stupid female will be even better.-   
  
She wiped away the blood that ran down her forehead and put on a Vegeta-like scowl as he got into a fighting stance. He could've sword he saw her eyes flash the color of red for a second, but dismissed the idea almost as quickly as it came.   
  
"Get ready to die, Kumberelle," He said, smirking.   
  
Kumberelle took a deep breath. - This one's for you, Mom and Dad.-   
  
*~*~*~*~*  
I think this one was the longest of all my chapters. I had to rewrite this chapter entirely, which pissed me off, but I got it up and running and I'm hoping for more reviews. I have a third fic out now that's currently in progress, called, "The Utterly Impossible", which is a humor fic that features a bunch of different stories that I thought of that could never happen in DBZ. I have two chapters already out, which are about the Z-warriors being black and about them getting high. So check that out along with my developing T/P, "Hope". Anyway, enough with the self-advertisement. Just please review, I'd like to know if this sucked or what.   
  
Next Chapter: Gohan and Videl's search for the Dragonballs ends, and no, he still doesn't tell her how he feels. That comes later! Kumberelle and Vegeta's fight still goes on. No winner yet, instead, a shocking surprise from Kumberelle. She has another trick up her sleeve. 


	8. Author's Notes

I hate to do this, but I feel I must. Ok, this fic is becoming sort of a disappointment to me, not because of the number of reviews I get for every chapter, although that is part of it, but because it's not turning out the way that I planned and I really think I could've done better on some of the chapters, especially the first one. I was so full of ideas when I first started, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with this fic, I still do, but something has been brought to my attention and has got me thinking: This story is really typical.   
  
I've known for awhile that this story is typical, but not this typical. Finding out this information pissed me off a little bit to say the least, so my original plans for this story might not be used in the end. Making Kumberelle so powerful and seemed to have all these mental powers to make her seem "perfect" was a really dumb idea, or at least that's what I'm starting to think, and I'm thinking of maybe canning this fic altogether, simply removing it from the site and from my mind. Or maybe I'll just put it on hold, I haven't really decided yet. I'm leaning towards just putting it on hold, because I know there's a good handful of people who like this fic, and it wouldn't be fair to them to just stop working on it. So yeah, I'll most likely end up continuing it out of obligation, the total opposite of why it was started in the first place.   
  
I just wanted everyone to know of my situation, and who knows, maybe with the right amount of encouragement and reviews, I'll get my inspiration back and continue writing this fic. Anyway, thank you everyone who ever reviewed a chapter. Have a nice day. 


	9. Chapter 8

I'm back. Did you miss me? Wow, it's been forever since I updated. Now I feel bad. This is an extra long chapter though, so you people that sent me the heart-warming reviews of encouragement should be very happy. Very, very special thanks to you all. You made my day when I read those. And I promise, I definitely won't take this long to update anymore.   
  
Special Thanks to Reviews from:  
DeamonHuntress  
Angel  
Furea- Very special thanks to you. Your review was the most heart-warming  
trunkslover1  
Chibi Bulma  
  
Disclaimer: I'm too poor to own Dragonball Z. Come look in my closet and you'll see what I mean...  
  
  
Chapter 8  
  
"Well," Kumberelle said irritably, finally perfecting her fighting stance so that she didn't wobble. "Are you going to fight me, or aren't you?"  
  
Vegeta chuckled a little bit. "So eager to die, eh? Well, I won't disappoi-"  
  
"Cut the bullshit!" Kumberelle screamed, interrupting him. "I'm tired of it!" Her ki began to crackle around her like red thunder. "I'm sick and tired of you stupid royal Saiyans!"   
  
Vegeta looked outraged, his expression almost as if she had actually slapped him instead of insulted him. He couldn't believe that this woman that was so bent on him being her "king" only a few days before and now was suddenly referring to Saiyan royalty as... inferior.... and less than intelligent. With a growl and a scowl (A/N: Heh, that rhymed.) he replied, "Stupid? How dare you refer to the royal family as dim-witted?"  
  
Kumberelle lowered her head and shook it, her ki crackling even more. "Why should I be respectful to the 'royal family'? What the fuck has the 'royal family' ever done for me?" She lifted her head, her eyes flickering from black to a glowing red, dangerously. "Besides killing my father? Huh? Why the hell should I bow down to you and praise you? Your father, our so-called respectable King, killed my father because he was too scared of my powers! And I'm supposed to be grateful to the 'royal family', as you call it? What royal family? You? Your half-breed son? Please!" Her ki crackled even more and her power rose significantly. Her eyes were a blinding red as was the aura around her. She was starting to snap.   
  
But of course that didn't unnerve our favorite Saiyan Prince... or at least that's how it appeared to be. "I don't care what my father did to yours, but you will respect me! I have done nothing to you! If anything, I am the victim! Who's the one that attempted to kill my mate?!" But while he was saying this, he was thinking of something entirely different. The little speech that she just said to him was playing over and over again in his head. The way she spoke of his father and all of the other royal Saiyans, with such venom and vehemence, it made him wonder. It was in sharp contrast to the way she seemed to worship him when she had just come, the way she made it seem like he was the most powerful and important person in the universe. And now she was so angry at him... it made him wonder if that was all an act to try to lure him to someone else, but her plan failed. It did make sense. She would try to coax him into leaving with her with that story of ruling another planet, but in all reality she was leading him to another, much more powerful force that had a personal vendetta against him. And then when she saw that he had a mate and child, she knew she'd have to use more than mere persuasion to get him to come with her, so she tried to kill the woman. But when that plan backfired as well, she was forced to undergo this battle. It made perfect sense... but was it true?   
  
"Yes, I did try to kill that blasted human woman," Kumberelle answered his question. "But only to get you where I wanted you to be."  
  
Vegeta rose an eyebrow. His theory made even more sense now. "And where would that be?"  
  
"With me on my damn ship!" Kumberelle screamed, her ki crackling once again and her power rising, her voice sounding a little hoarse.   
  
Vegeta just stared at her for awhile, his idea still on his mind. Then he remembered her ability to read minds and hoped that that was the one piece of information that he'd be able to keep for his own. "Well are we going to fight or what?"   
  
Kumberelle didn't hear his thoughts. She was too absorbed in being angry to try and read his mind, or to concentrate on anything else but fighting for that matter. "Correction," Her voice was now fully changed and totally demonic as her ki continued to rise and crackle around her while Vegeta stared at her. "The Exorcist" would always have a new meaning to him from now on. "I'm going to fight." Before Vegeta could ask what the hell she meant by that, Kumberelle used her mind to push him down to the ground and hold him there with ki brackets. (A/N: Think about what Majin Vegeta did to Goku when they fought, how he kept him on that mountain. Yes, I know, I'm not really original, but oh well. Sue me!)   
  
"What the.." Vegeta muttered, but was cut off when she kicked him in the side. He let out an agonizing groan, and wondered how in hell she got so strong all of sudden, when she was barely hanging on about 10 minutes before.   
  
"You will pay, dear prince," She said his title mockingly as she kicked him again.   
  
"Pay for what?" Vegeta asked, slightly worried now that he looked at the position he was in. But only slightly...  
  
"For your father's mistakes," Kumberelle said matter-of-factly, as if he should've expected it a mile away. "He killed my father, and since he's already dead, you can go with him."   
  
"So, that's what this is all about?" Vegeta asked. He hadn't even thought of that.   
  
"I'll admit, at first that wasn't my intention," Kumberelle replied, then smirked. "But now that I have an incentive," She bent down and put her face right in front of his. "I'm not going to let you leave alive." She laughed maniacally, deep voice and all, as she floated up into the air, her arms raised as she charged two red ki blasts in each palm.   
  
~*~  
  
"Oh. Shit." Krillin mumbled as he stared at the Saiyan female, glowing in red.   
  
"Oh shit is right," Yamcha agreed as he cowered down to the ground. "She's snapped! She's going to kill us!" (A/N: Damn Yamcha and his scariness...)  
  
"She hasn't gone that crazy yet," Piccolo assured them. "I can tell. Don't worry about it yet."  
  
"Don't worry about it yet?" Trunks asked with scared, blue eyes. "My dad's stuck to the ground and she's about to start throwing a bunch of ki blasts at him and you're telling me not to worry yet?!"  
  
Goku put his hand on Trunks' shoulder to comfort him and smiled. "Don't worry, Trunks. You're dad is a very strong man, I'm sure he'll make it through this. Just because she has the upper hand now doesn't mean she'll be the victor. Just relax. Vegeta will be fine."   
  
Trunks half smiled at his father's rival before turning back to the battle below them. "I sure hope you're right, Goku."   
  
~*~  
  
Kumberelle lowered her arms and threw the two charged blasts at Vegeta, along with several others, her power increasing even as she was using it. She laughed louder and louder as she felt power radiating off of him and more power rising within her, as if he was transferring it to her. But it wasn't going as fast as she would've liked, he wasn't losing enough energy. She started to pick up the pace and each blast that hit the Saiyan Prince was stronger than the previous one. She just continued her insane laughter, loving every minute of having the upper hand in the battle for once. She couldn't remember feeling so angry, but while a part of her thrived on that anger and used it as an advantage, another part of her still was very sensible and calm and trying not to get carried away. It was hard work to fight with both "split-personalities" fully active, but somehow she managed. Finally, she stopped her assault to examine the victim. She lowered herself to the ground, panting from her last attack, while the smoke around Vegeta cleared. But once it did, the smirk that was on her face was replaced by a shocked half-frown. Because from that cloud of smoke, was another smirking Saiyan, still confined to the ground.   
  
"What's the matter?" Even in his current state, he had the nerve to tease her. Just like Vegeta, huh? "Didn't have the effect that you wanted?" Not only was he still a Super Saiyan, but he had little damage done to him, only a few burns, but nothing major.   
  
"How the... What the..." Kumberelle was dumbfounded.   
  
"I used my ki to protect myself with a shield," Vegeta answered. "Although it wasn't as strong as I would have liked it be. As you can see I was still burned a little bit."   
  
Kumberelle growled and kicked him in the side in frustration. "Damn it! This is going to take too long."   
  
Vegeta smirked at her aggravation, loving every minute of it. Sure, she looked like the devil himself (or in this case, herself) by her appearance, her power was considerably larger, and he was "chained" to the ground at the moment, but he still had the confidence and arrogance he felt was needed to win the battle. - And if she wouldn't use these weak techniques to hold me down here it would be much easier! Damn woman!-   
  
"Weak techniques?" Kumberelle asked, her voice dripping with vehemence, having just read his thoughts. "Just what do you mean by that?"  
  
Vegeta tried not to smirk, for he knew that she would do that. His plan was working. "These ki confinements you used to hold me down here. They are weak. If you were really that strong, you wouldn't need to hold me down like this."  
  
Kumberelle glared her red eyes at him as she thought over what he just said. It was true, she didn't need to chain him down like a dog if she wanted to beat him, but it sure did make it more interesting and a hell of a lot funnier. "Alright," She sighed. "You win."  
  
Barely a second later, the ki brackets disappeared and Vegeta stood up quickly, rubbing his wrists and stretching his legs before going into another fighting stance, his all too familiar smirk plastered on his face. He slowly extended his hand, and curved his fingers toward him in a beckoning motion, waiting for her to make the first move.   
  
She just glared at him as she got into a fighting stance of her own, her determination and her anger shown in her bright red eyes. She smirked also when a plan formed in her head, a plan oblivious to anyone but her. Oh yes, this was going to be fun.   
  
~*~  
  
"Wait a minute," Trunks turned to the adult spectators that were around him. "Didn't she just transform and go all psycho?" Everyone narrowed their eyes at him and nodded slowly. "Ok, so if she's so crazy and everything, how could my dad talk her into... uh.... 'letting him loose'? If she was so crazy, she wouldn't have paid attention to a word he said, right?"   
  
"Good... question, Trunks," Krillin mumbled, while scratching his formally bald head.   
  
"Maybe she just hasn't gotten crazy enough, Trunks," Goten chirped.   
  
Trunks rubbed his chin as he thought about it, then glanced over his shoulder at the woman and shook his head. "I don't know, Goten. She looks pretty crazy to me. And her power rose a lot... and it keeps rising."   
  
Now it was time for the tall, green, turban-clad warrior to speak. "Maybe Vegeta is her weakness. From what I've seen at the Lookout, she seemed very fond of him..... or had some other special connection to him.... maybe he's the only thing that can penetrate her defenses."   
  
Trunks' eyes widened slightly as Piccolo finished his theory, and nodded his approval. "That makes sense." And if it was true, Trunks was sure how to win, if his father ever needed his help.   
  
~*~  
  
With a battle cry, Kumberelle lunged herself at her opponent and started one of those annoying punch and kick sessions, with Vegeta dodging and blocking them. He was surprised to find that her speed had increased and seemed to keep increasing, but he still held his own. He grabbed her foot as it went flying towards his face and sent an uppercut to her jaw, making her fall to the ground. Growling, she flipped herself back up and punched him again, but he caught her fist and sent his foot to the side of her head. She growled again, louder this time, and used her free hand to shoot an urgent ki blast at him, which he dodged easily. Finally prying her other fist from his grip, she disappeared and reappeared into the air. Vegeta stared at her a little bit before joining her, starting an airborne struggle with Vegeta once again on defense, blocking and dodging every punch and kick. She faked him out, making him think she was going to punch, and when he went to block it, she kneed him the stomach. She planted an uppercut of her own once he was doubled over, which sent him flying downward, but he caught himself and flew back up to the sky, charging up a ki blast and sending it toward her. She dodged it, but she figured out that it was a distraction too late when she felt her neck being squeezed by the Saiyan Prince, evil smirk and all. She gasped for air as he kneed her in the process, and her eyes widened, finding that there seemed to be no air anywhere around.   
  
"Can't breathe?" Vegeta said mockingly as he tightened his grip. "Too bad. Guess you'll be seeing your parents in the afterlife sooner than you expected."   
  
That did it. Kumberelle's power skyrocketed and flared around her as she punched and thrashed wildly, miraculously finding a little bit of air. One of those punches somehow connected with Vegeta's face, causing him to reel back and let go of her neck. She didn't waste any time, she sent more kicks and punches at him, many of which he failed to block. Her speed and strength had increased since he made his little comment about her parents, and he made a mental note not to do that again. She screamed and kicked him so hard in the stomach that he was the one having trouble breathing now. She threw her elbow into his back, sending him down to the ground to create yet another crater. She lowered herself to the ground, waiting for him to get up so that she could pound on him some more, but she didn't expect him to lunge at her as quickly as he did. She was so startled that the only thing she could do was use her telekinesis. Once Vegeta was mere inches away from her, she stopped him mid-stride, his fist about to launch itself at her. She smirked when she saw his determination to move, but her mind was keeping him confined to that one spot and position.   
  
"Woman!" The Saiyan Prince shouted. "What the hell did you do?"  
  
Her smirk widened. "Just one of the many perks of having telekinesis, that's all."   
  
Vegeta grunted and groaned as he tried to move, but he couldn't. All he could do was talk and shout and complain, everything Vegeta was known and loved for. "Woman, stop with these foolish tricks! Let me move, now!"   
  
Kumberelle sighed and shook her head. "I don't believe there is a planet for you to rule on anymore, therefore, I don't have to take orders from you now, do I?"   
  
"I think you're a weakling if you need to result to this," Vegeta said, ignoring her question. "If you're that scared, let me just kill you and get this over with."   
  
Kumberelle growled at being called a weakling, her tail flicking dangerously behind her. Her pride wasn't going to let her be insulted that way, especially coming from the son of the man that was afraid of the power of a 5 year old. "Alright, fine. Have your wish." She stepped back a few steps, but didn't let him go right away, much to Vegeta's confusion.   
  
"Well do it alread- Ahhh!" He was interrupted when she finally decided to let him go, having caught him off guard, making him fall to the ground. She started to laugh as he got up and dusted himself off. "Alright enough of the nonsense! Fight me now! I demand that you-"   
  
"Oh shut up," Kumberelle said, annoyed. "I'm tired of the 'high and mighty' attitude. Just get into a fighting stance and charge at me."   
  
Vegeta glared at her, but complied nonetheless, wondering what his son was a few moments before, why her anger wasn't impairing her good judgment. Kumberelle was wondering it herself, although part of her knew, but was too stubborn to admit it. Instead she got into a fighting and grinned to herself, thinking about the plan that she was sure was going to do Vegeta in.   
  
Gohan and Videl's Search...   
Videl stared in awe at the seven balls that were flickering with light, each one with it's own number of stars painted in red on its orange surface. The only real indication that their search was the real thing was the grinning Saiyan in front of her, for only Gohan could produce something this unfathomable to her life. But it was real, it was as real as her love for the often naive hero.   
  
"I feel like I'm in a dream..." Videl said, still in awe. "I can't believe these seven, tiny balls can grant wishes. It's so... unreal..." Gohan smiled at her as she continued, "But I guess I should expect these kinds of things from someone who's been saving the world since he was 5."  
  
Gohan chuckled a little. "Yeah, it is pretty unbelievable at first, but trust me, they work. How do you think all the people that were killed by Cell came back to life?"  
  
Videl turned her head to Gohan. "I never thought of that..." She turned to the Dragonballs again and sighed dreamily. "I can't believe it... after all these years I'm going to see my mom again." She walked over to an unsuspecting Gohan and threw her arms around his neck. "This was a great idea, Gohan. I don't know how to thank you."  
  
Gohan blushed at the sudden embrace, and at the comeback that suddenly crept into his mind from out of "the gutter". "Oh, you don't have to thank me, Videl. I love... to help you out... in any... way I can." He almost slipped and said he loved her, and she looked puzzled at his stuttered speech, but just shrugged it off and turned her attention back to the still glowing Dragonballs.   
  
"Ok," Videl said, then added with a happy jump. "Let's summon the dragon now!"  
  
Gohan grinned and was about to do just that, but something else occurred to him. "Hey, Videl, I just remembered something. We have two wishes now. Is there anything else you want to wish for?"  
  
Videl put a finger to her lips as she thought about it. Sure, she could think of a couple of things that she'd want more than anything. For example, for someone to finally beat her dad and put his humongous ego to rest, or a little less attention from every single person in school (besides Gohan of course), and maybe for Sharpner to suddenly die of a horribly disfiguring disease, but she would never wish for anything like that. And then there was always Gohan... but she didn't want him if it was dishonest. She wanted him to choose her on his own freewill, not because he was forced.   
  
She shook her head in answer to Gohan's question. "Nothing else I can think of. Do you want to wish for anything?"  
  
The same thought crossed Gohan's mind as well. Life would be just perfect if Videl was his girlfriend, but wishing for such an event to occur was completely out of the question. Of course it would be cool for Goku to stay on Earth, but he figured his father would come to the same conclusion as before: that the Earth was too dangerous with him living here. Surprisingly, Gohan allowed himself to believe that with enough persuasion, his father just might stay on Earth forever.   
  
He voiced the more sensible of the choices he thought of to Videl. "We'll just save the next one for after Vegeta's battle, that way if she somehow kills him, or some other horrible event like that, we can wish him back."  
  
Videl nodded in agreement. "Sounds good. Now... summon the goddamn dragon!"  
  
Gohan laughed at her and shook his head at her impatience. After taking a deep breath, he called out, "Eternal Dragon! By your name I summon you forth! Shenron!"   
  
Videl gasped at what came next. The sky turned into a mass of unforeseeable darkness as a blinding light cascaded from the seven balls. Out from this light spawned the most incredible sight she'd ever seen, a huge dragon whose body twisted and coiled in never-ending spirals, two long, slender arms and legs sticking out with sharp claws only a dragon could possess. His head contained a huge mouth, with a long, red tongue that stood out as much as the flared nostrils and whisker-like tentacles on it's nose. His eyes were by far what held your attention, the glowing red orbs that suggested a majestic quality that almost gave you the instinct to bow, to give the utmost respect to this being that stood at an implausible stature. It was certainly a sight to see, a once in a lifetime vision that would forever be stored in the back of her mind.   
  
"Holy... shit..." She muttered, her eyes as wide as Sharpner's forehead.  
  
"You have awaken me from my slumber," The dragon dubbed, Shenron, bellowed with it's powerful voice, stunning Videl even more. "I will grant you two wishes."  
  
"Alright, Videl," Gohan smiled at her reaction. "Here it goes."  
  
Videl nodded dumbly as Gohan called to the dragon. "Shenron, please bring..." He paused and turned back to Videl. "Uh... what's your mother's name?"  
  
It took a while for Videl to break free of her amazement. "What? Oh... uh... her name was Angel Satan."  
  
It took everything for Gohan not to laugh at the absurdity of her mother's name. "Shenron, please bring Angel Satan back to this dimension!"  
  
There was a pause, then a soft grunt from the mystical dragon. Gohan looked confused, but was set back on track when the dragon said, "Your wish can not be granted."  
  
Panicked, Gohan turned to Videl. Her mouth was hanging open slightly, and she didn't appear to be blinking much. It was obvious she was stunned, but Gohan didn't know the half of it.   
  
Just like that, her dreams were crushed. Just as she was beginning to look at life with a new meaning, to actual enjoy leading her chaotic life, most of the time anyway, something had to come crashing down on here, killing all particles of optimism.   
  
It wasn't fair. No matter how many robberies she stopped, no matter how many tournaments or matches she won, no matter how many "friends" she acquired, she still ended up getting screwed. Her mother was taken away from her, her father was constantly telling her she could do better in everything, from her academic life to her social life, and now she couldn't even bring her mother back, the only person in the entire world who could make her happy and feel loved.   
  
She turned to Gohan then and realized that wasn't true. As long as she had Gohan, nothing could possibly go wrong.   
  
"Are you ok, Videl?" Gohan asked in a gentle tone that made Videl smile.   
  
"I guess...," She answered. "I just don't understand why."  
  
Gohan turned around and asked the dragon why Videl's mother refused to come back, as reverantly as possible. In answer, the dragon said, "Angel Satan does not feel that she is needed on Earth anymore. She is confident that her daughter has done a good enough job growing up, and she doesn't need any further assisting."   
  
Videl smiled. "That sounds just like her..." A single tear rolled down her cheek as she thought of the opportunity that was just lost.   
  
Gohan smiled sympathetically and hesitantly put an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry about it, Videl. Everything will be just fine, I promise."   
  
The sincerity of his words touched her deeply, and she told him as much, succeeding in causing a bright red blush upon his innocent features. However, this endearing act of affection was trying the Eternal Dragon's patience. Gohan blushed once more and apologized, letting the dragon know that they would summon him again in four months, when the balls recharged again. And with that, the majestic dragon disappeared, along with the seven balls that scattered across the Earth once again, the darkness returning to light.   
  
"I'm really sorry, Videl," Gohan told her.  
  
"It's ok," Videl replied. "It's not your fault... Who knows... maybe I am better off with just you here with me."   
  
Gohan smiled. "I'll always be here... remember that."  
  
"I will." She looked back at the sky and said, "What do you say we join the others and watch Vegeta's fight?"   
  
"Sounds good to me."  
  
The two teens took off into the air at unimaginable speeds, and unbeknownst to them, a woman with a heavenly name and raven hair smiled, totally convinced that one day, her daughter would marry the fine boy she was with, and be more happy than she could ever make her.   
  
The Battlefield...  
Powers raged. Anger increased. And seven warriors, accompanied with two children, watched on in shock as two enormous powers clashed, both glowing brilliant colors, both with eyes full of determination, and both with pasts so traumatizing and alike that it was a wonder why they were fighting at all. But they both knew why. It was all about power, pride, and proving that they were the best, once and for all. Now, all fright was forgotten, all worry was diminished. All that remained were the attributes that were commonly linked with their forgotten race. Anger. Hatred. Arrogance. Pride. That was all they had left at that moment. It didn't matter that the male of the two had a family to consider, it didn't matter that he once pitied his opponent for her odd attachment to him. And it didn't matter that the female of the two had her own responsibilities to consider, or that she might not even survive the battle. All they both knew was that they were going to win, or die trying.   
  
And as the prince of this forgotten race kicked his opponent in the chin, he smirked at her, a smirk that spoke a thousand words. It not only showed his cocky attitude, but it also showed just what his opponent hated about him, and what she loved. It showed his confidence, something she thought she liked about him, but now it began to annoy her. The mixed emotions a simple gesture brought within her only made her angrier at the complexity of her confusion, and she almost wanted to kill herself just to escape the overwhelming agony deep within her. But she knew she couldn't. She owed it to her father... her mother... to win this battle and prove her superiority.   
  
She flung her fist toward his face, and annoyingly, although not surprisingly, he caught it, and she thought she might die as a fresh wave of frustration crept into her soul. Why was it so hard to prove her dominance? Why was it so hard to beat a man who's father was afraid of the power of a 5 year old girl? Even with all these powers, all these special capabilities she possessed, she still couldn't beat the simplest of Saiyans, the only remaining one of full blood that still remembered where he came from, the one that could easily be broken down with the right amount of hard work.   
  
Apparently, it wasn't as simple as all that, and he forced a powerful kick to her middle, bringing her to the ground again. It seemed like she hit the ground a thousand times that day, and even though her power had rose significantly, as did her speed and anger, she still wanted to cower in a corner and die somewhere. It was all too confusing, too overwhelming, too... impossible to defeat such a powerful force. And the fact that he kept smirking and taunting her did nothing for her either.   
  
She pushed herself up anyway however, hoping and praying deep within her that the plan she had formulated in her head earlier would work. She hadn't tried it in years, for it was too dangerous to use very often. But, desperate times call for desperate measures.   
  
"Still too stubborn to let me put you out of your misery?" Vegeta asked, sadistic smirk and all as he shook his head in mock disapproval. He was feeling so good that he decided to hit the sensitive subject he knew would cause her power to surge. "Just like your father... you just insist on learning the hard way."   
  
Kumberelle stared at him for awhile, not knowing what to do about it. Despite the fact that she had "snapped", despite the fact that anger boiled within her and was just waiting to be released, she still felt a tremor of... pain. Of course the Prince of Saiyans had said much worse to her, but only now had the harshness of his words sunk in, and it almost hurt physically, so much so that she felt like she was going to fall at the hands of a tremendous weight of some sort. For the first time in a long time, she felt like crying and screaming at the same time, she felt like blowing up everyone in sight, and at the same time wanting to ask them for help. She felt like a tormented child... a human child.   
  
~*~  
  
All nine occupiers of the mountain that looked down on this intense battle looked up into the sky as two new figures rushed toward then at inhuman speeds. Goku squinted into the sky until he matched the kis up with their faces and smiled.   
  
"It's Gohan and Videl!" His youngest son called out for him, jumping up and down with excitement.   
  
The two teenagers landed shortly afterward and exchanged greetings with everyone. Goten was particularly interested in telling Videl all about the battle, in seven year old English that made Videl grin, as Goku talked quietly with his son.   
  
"So how's the battle going?" Gohan asked. "I felt some really big powers while we were gone."   
  
"Vegeta seems to be doing pretty good," Goku answered. "But it's hard to tell." Gohan nodded and turned toward the battlefield. It wasn't as much as interest in the battle that kept his eyes locked at the scene, he just wanted to avoid the question lurking in his father's onyx eyes.   
  
"So..." Goku recognized his son's avoidance, but decided to press it anyway. He asked in a whispered tone, "Did you tell her yet?"  
  
Gohan sighed miserably. "I just couldn't, Dad. It's never been the right time. She was so excited all day about seeing her mother again... I didn't want to chance ruining her good spirits with something like that... and then we summoned the dragon and she found out her mother can't be wished back..."  
  
"She can't?" Goku looked both sympathetic and surprised. "Why not?"  
  
"She doesn't feel the need to. She thinks Videl has grown up just fine without her."  
  
Goku grinned. "Apparently you think so too." He laughed at his son's blush and gave him an encouraging, fatherly smile. "You have to tell her soon, Gohan. You know that, right?"   
  
Gohan sighed again. "Yeah... I know... and I will. I just need a little more time."  
  
Goku glanced at the raven-haired woman in question, sitting on a rock with Goten in her lap, talking a mile a minute about everything he'd done and seen all day in extreme detail, and smiled warmly. He turned to his oldest son again and looked almost sad for a minute. He'd missed his son grow up, he didn't even know he had another one, and now his oldest was falling in love and his youngest was an always curious 7 year old. He dreaded leaving at the end of the month now more than ever, and as he touched Gohan's shoulder, Gohan could see the pain radiating from his dark eyes.   
  
"Just do it quickly, son," Goku told him gently. "I don't want to miss another precious moment of your life... I want to be there for as many as I can."  
  
Gohan nodded, the only thing he seemed to be capable of as Goku turned around to look at the progressing fight. Never had he been so surprised by something his father said. The sincerity and nostalgia held in his voice touched him deeply, and he knew exactly what he was going to wish for when the Dragonballs were recharged. There was not a doubt in his mind.   
  
In four months, he was going to have his father back.  
  
~*~  
  
With a small groan, Kumberelle once again found herself tasting dirt. It seemed to get harder and harder, because although her power was growing steadily with each blow that came in contact with Vegeta and each insult he through at her, her confidence and composure came rushing out of her at an uneven ratio. She could no longer think straight at this point, but she wasn't blind with anger, she was blind with sadness and frustration. More than ever she wanted to cry out and beg for him to just put her out of her misery, but the part of her that thrived on supremacy, no matter how small at this point, wouldn't let her give up hope.   
  
But hope seemed so far away now, for that tiny part of her soul had not yet kicked in. She was trembling on the ground now, both in anger, but mostly from fighting back tears. She looked like a pulsating mass of red light, and each twitch caused a small sound of agony to escape to her mouth. Her voice wasn't as deep and demonic, but softer and smoother, like her original voice, and Vegeta watched in slight horror as her twitching began to get violent and uncontrollable. She looked like she was cold, but yet she couldn't be, because the power that was emanating off of her could surely warm an entire city. She slowly sat up, still trembling, and brought her face in her hands. Vegeta's eyes widened when he heard her crying, but while a certain part of him wanted to laugh at her for it, there was another part of him that realized that they weren't tears of pain, they were tears of frustration.   
  
He stared wide-eyed as the red from around her body seemed to flow from her slowly, and her power seemed to rise and fall at the same time. What the hell was going on? He didn't know, but he suddenly had the desire to pull a Frieza: To run and hide like a little bitch.  
  
~*~  
  
"Gohan... what the hell?" Videl asked, even though she knew he wouldn't have an answer.   
  
"What the hell is right," Gohan replied, his mouth slightly opened as he looked at the shivering Saiyan on the ground. "Why is she crying and convulsing like that?"  
  
"From the looks of it," The forever wise green man named Piccolo offered his theory in his always deep, powerful voice. "It's out of frustration. She's angry and frustrated at the same time, not just because she can't win, but there seems to be another reason too. She's giving off weird ki surges too... she could be performing some sort of technique. This woman has way too many capabilities."   
  
"You got that right," Goku agreed, a look of concentration on his face. "I sure hope Vegeta kills this woman today, because her powers are way too unexplainable and unpredictable... and weird."   
  
Piccolo nodded, and the prince's lavender-haired son looked extremely worried, but also determined.   
  
"If you need me, Dad," He whispered to himself. "I'm ready."  
  
~*~  
  
Vegeta backed away slowly as Kumberelle fought to get to her feet and regain her composure. There was something about her tears and her weird ki that unnerved him a little bit, that gave him a slight streak of compassion that he was sure was due to the damn woman and her influence. It dissolved when she arose, however, and he smirked at her again as she got into an obligated fighting stance.   
  
Without warning, Vegeta let out a battle cry and lunged toward her. She wanted to scream out at the sudden outburst, but she felt her throat being crushed under the prince's strong grip. He lifted the choking Saiyan female from the ground, her tail swinging wildly, as if calling for frantic help. Her black eyes widened as she felt her life decreasing, and Vegeta laughed maniacally, a surge of pleasure running through him that he hadn't felt since he was under Frieza's control and eradicating planets.   
  
A tear ran down her face, thinking her days were through, but then she suddenly changed her mind, that single strand of courage still alive somewhere in her soul. Concentrating as hard as she could, she decided that now was as good a time as any.   
  
Within seconds, a blinding light seemed to burst from out of nowhere, so bright that Vegeta dropped Kumberelle and covered his eyes. The light was so blinding that it actually hurt. It also seemed to disable his senses temporarily, for he couldn't feel anyone's ki anymore, all he could see was bright light and a stinging pain in his eyes. He silently hoped that it just disabled his 6th sense, but his question was answered when the light began to slowly fade away, as was the pain his eyes were under.   
  
~*~  
  
"What the hell was that all about?" Videl asked when she was able to see again.   
  
"My guess is Kumberelle," Gohan answered, rubbing his sore eyes like a child.   
  
"You're right, Gohan," Piccolo told him in his monotone voice. "It was."  
  
"Look!" Goten called, pointed one small finger toward the battle.   
  
Everyone gasped at what they saw. There was Kumberelle, hovering over Vegeta with that familiar red light surrounding her, giving emphasis to the deep voice that accompanied it as she laughed maniacally. But what was a real surprise was the state Vegeta was in. He was trapped in cage made entirely out of fire, and it appeared to be shrinking every second, so that Vegeta had to crouch down to escape getting burned.   
  
The look on his face was incentive enough for Trunks, and he immediately changed into a Super Saiyan as he flew desperately toward Kumberelle, determined to make her free his father. In his mind, it wasn't as life risking as it appeared, for he felt his father's life was much more important.   
  
*~*~*~*~*  
Don't you just love the cliffhangers? You probably don't care, as I can see from my lack of reviews. But it's ok, I picked a pretty typical storyline. Next time I'll have to be more original. For those of you still interested in my story, I post the estimated time I think it'll take for the next chapter to be out, on my profile. And I also posted some new ideas I have for fics, so if you guys would email me or tell me in a review which ones are stupid as hell and which ones are good ideas, I would greatly appreciate it. Ideas are also appreciated, and if you include your email address, I'd be happy to send you an email when the next chapter is out.   
  
Next Chapter: Trunks works diligently to try and save his father from death, as the fire-cage gets increasingly small by the second. After force fails to work, Trunks tries a new tactic that has surprising results. 


	10. Chapter 9

I'm loving my 50 reviews. I hope to get at least ten or fifteen more by the time I end it, but I doubt that, since I might decide to wrap it all up in the next chapter. Thank you all for being so supportive and enjoy the next chapter! I really like the way this came out.   
  
Special Thanks to Reviews From:  
Starlit- Thanks for all... 4 or 5 of them  
Pupetta- Thanks for all your kind words, and sorry, but I might just kill Yamcha sometime... depends on my mood I guess.   
Rayne Maker  
The Prince's Freak  
Amelia  
Petra Delling  
DBZ Fanfiction Queen- Yeah, I wanted to kill that Yamcha bastard, but it just didn't work in the story at all. Maybe I'll add a little short at the end of the fic where he gets killed.   
Furea- Still not sure about the sequel, but I'll let you know if I need a Saiyan.   
vegeta's little princess  
  
Disclaimer: Please tell me you know what characters are mine and what characters belong to Akira Toriyama? If not, we'll send you to the little rooms with the white, padded walls, ok?  
  
  
  
Kumberelle laughed maniacally. She was enjoying having the upper hand in the fight way too much. Just watching Vegeta squirm in the increasingly small cage of fire was immensely amusing. She was so caught up in her glee that she failed to notice the small but determined fist enveloped in golden light until it connected with her chin.   
  
She stumbled backwards a bit in the air and sneered at her new attacker, the one and only child of Vegeta and Bulma. "You'd better watch it, squirt, before you end up in worse shape than your father."  
  
Trunks didn't appear to be impressed by her power or afraid of the devilishness of her voice and appearance, although inside he was starting to believe that he was invading very, very dangerous territory. "I wouldn't count on it, Kumberelle." He spat out her name like a bad taste in his mouth, which made Kumberelle smirk.   
  
"Like father, like son," She said as she glanced at Vegeta. He was obviously in a frantic state, for he was circling the cage with something akin to fury in his eyes, like a lion ready to pounce on his prey. "Foolish choices must run in the family." Trunks growled and charged at her again. This time she was startled, but she grabbed his fist, then the other one, at just the right times. "What do you think you're doing, boy?"  
  
"What does it look like?" Trunks moved out of her grip and fired a ki blast at her, which she dodged. "I want you to let my father go, and I'm willing to fight you to see that you do."  
  
Kumberelle raised an eyebrow. - He's willing to risk his own life for that of his worthless father... just like my father did for me when King Vegeta killed him.... and when my mother was attacked by Frieza... she did the same...- For a moment, her eyes changed from red to black and clouded with misery, but only a choice few caught this action. One of them was Trunks, and he looked surprised and victorious at the same time.   
  
~*~  
  
"What does Trunks think he's doing?" Gohan asked to no one in particular. Everyone else had similar reactions and looks of horror on their faces, which was understandable. It's not everyday that an 8 year old kid stands up to someone old enough to be his mother for the sake of his father's life.   
  
"Someone should do something. He shouldn't be fighting out there by himself," It was Yamcha's voice that spoke up next, and it was obvious by the slight tremor in his voice that he wasn't about to be that "someone" he just mentioned. (A/N: Little bitch...)  
  
"Yamcha's right," Piccolo agreed, scaring himself. I mean, this was Yamcha he was agreeing with. "He shouldn't be out there. This woman kept Vegeta on his toes for so long. How's a child going to handle that power?"  
  
"Trunks is a lot stronger than you think," Goten turned around to the green man and presented his theory. "He might be a kid, but Gohan was a kid when he helped fight that weird guy.... uh... Freezer..."  
  
"That's Frieza, Goten," Goku smiled at his mini-me. "And yes, I do think Trunks is stronger than we think." He looked towards the battlefield and remembered Kumberelle's sudden change of eye color. "And smarter too. It looks to me like he already has a trick up his sleeve."   
  
~*~  
  
Another blast came rocketing toward Kumberelle, but this, as well as the flurry of blasts that followed, hit her dead on. Trunks punched and kicked and fought his little heart out for his imprisoned father, and it seemed to be easier than he thought. This was definitely not what he was expecting from the first Saiyan woman he'd ever seen, especially in the demonic state that she was in. Why was it so easy for him and apparently not so easy for his dad?  
  
Kumberelle was distracted, that was her problem. Trunks noticed it too, but why should she be distracted now? She was fighting someone that wasn't even a good challenge. But the truth of the matter was, Kumberelle didn't have a clue either. There was something about what Trunks said before and what she'd done to Vegeta that unnerved her, and she couldn't keep her mind on anything else. So she let Trunks beat her and pound on her relentlessly, and it wasn't until she plummeted to the ground beside Vegeta's cage of fire that she realized she was still fighting.   
  
"Woman!" Vegeta's angry voice rang in her ears, and she immediately jerked her head upward to see his angry face. "What have you done?! Why am I in a cage made out of fire and why does it keep shrinking?!" He had to crouch lower as he said the word. The rate of its reduction seemed to increase every second.   
  
"It's one of my techniques," The uneasiness she felt was put on the back burner so she could seem cool and confident. "It's another creation that my telekinesis provides. It'll shrink until it totally envelops you. It's a risky move, since the fire can get out of control easily. That's why I only use it as a last resort."  
  
And still, in the face of danger, Vegeta once again had the nerve to get cocky and smirk. "Last resort, huh? Couldn't handle the power of the almighty Saiyan Prince?"  
  
As much as she hated it, as much as she couldn't stand royalty of any kind, Kumberelle actually nodded with a look of obvious disappointment in herself. "Yes, Vegeta. For once, I am not afraid to admit that I've found my match."  
  
Vegeta raised an eyebrow and studied the expression on her face. It was unreadable, but you could see a sense of humanity in the cold, red eyes. It was weird, she appeared to be ruthless and powerful, but she was still very vulnerable at the most inopportune times. She was definitely a white rose in a field of red, an unhappy person in a world of contentment, a shark in a sea of fish. She was truly one of a kind.   
  
Vegeta didn't have time to ponder further on that thought because Trunks lowered himself in front of the cage. Once again he saw a sense of gentility that clashed with the determination of the rest of his appearance.   
  
"It's ok, Dad," Trunks told him reassuringly. "I'm going to handle this." There was a fatherly, commanding quality in his tone that made Vegeta want to laugh at the role-reversal, but the fact that Trunks was taking his position in the fight was not amusing to him at all.   
  
"What do you mean 'you're going to handle this'?" Vegeta was back to being his firm, unrelenting self. "You can't possibly match up to her, boy."  
  
"That may be, Dad," Trunks turned to look at Kumberelle, the same unreadable expression on her face. This was, however, somewhat pleasing to him. "But not everyone wins a fight solely on skill." And with that, he ascended into the clouded sky and beckoned his opponent.   
  
She followed suit, and Vegeta was left alone with his thoughts and a forever reducing cage of deadly fire. He knew that look in his son's eyes. It was a look he'd frequently seen on Bulma's face when she had to cope with a challenge that provided exhausting frustration and patience, but there something more in Trunks' eyes that gave him the confidence he needed in his son. There was something in his eyes that he was sure Kakarrot had seen, for it must've been his decision to let him go out there. There was something in his eyes that couldn't be described, yet he was willing to put his own life in his 8 year old son's hands because this thing seemed that reliable.  
  
~*~  
  
"You people never cease to amaze me," Videl said to Gohan as she watched the two Saiyans go at it, difficultly. "Some of you can make cages out of fire and you put all your faith in a little boy to save his father. It's crazy..."   
  
Gohan grinned. "Yeah, it does appear that way, doesn't it?" Videl nodded dumbly as she watched, then she laughed. Gohan raised an eyebrow. "What's all the laughter about?"  
  
"I was just thinking about my dad," She replied, still laughing. "And how he would react to seeing any of this. He'd probably shit his pants."  
  
It was impossible for Gohan not to laugh at the image she conjured. "That would be a little embarrassing on his part."  
  
"But funny as hell," Videl smiled and he smiled back, again feeling that pull that drew him to her. He was going crazy now. He really wanted to tell her his true feelings, but something was blocking him from it. Whether it be the fact that they were watching the most unusual fight of their lives or whether it was because there were so many people around, he didn't know. He just knew he was even more confused than he ever had been in his entire life. And this time it had nothing to do with how he felt about her, but how and when to tell her.  
  
- This is getting ridiculous.- He thought to himself. - It's like some bad teen movie. The guy wants to tell the girl how he feels so bad and it takes forever for him to get the courage to do it. Dende, when did I become.... a teenager?-   
  
The Guardian of the Earth couldn't help but grin at the desperate teenager who was his childhood friend.   
  
Somewhere in the distance....  
"Are you sure they went this way, Bulma?" Chichi asked from the passenger seat of Bulma's jet copter.   
  
Bulma turned to her with a concentrated look in her eyes, mixed with a sense of worry and desperation. "I'm not so sure, Chichi. I know this is the way Trunks flew off to, but he could've changed directions since then."  
  
Chichi looked equally discouraged, for her husband and sons were also somewhere near the scene where they suspected the small earthquakes were coming from. Only they knew they weren't earthquakes, which made her and her long-time companion afraid for the lives of their families, so much so that Bulma got tired of waiting for news of them and took it upon herself to find them and pick up Chichi along the way, whom she knew had to be just as worried as herself. But then again, Chichi was always worried about something or another, but that wasn't the point. The point was that they were two determined women who would continue their search come hell or high water.  
  
There was something deep within Bulma that made her think something was horribly wrong. She suspected it was paranoia at first, but then her bond made her realize that Vegeta was definitely in trouble. The only problem was that she couldn't communicate with him telepathically to find out exactly what that was. He probably put a block on it so that she wouldn't disturb him while he was fighting. Damn him...  
  
Although Chichi saw a quiet, determined Bulma at her left flying the jet copter, it was in sharp contrast to what she was really feeling. Inside, she was a nervous wreck. She was panicking and wondering what she would do if something ever happened to Vegeta. It seemed completely unfathomable for him to die, with good reason. She knew her husband was one of the most powerful men in the universe, and only now was she starting to think that he'd met his match. It was narrow-minded of her to think no one was more powerful than Vegeta, she knew, since they weren't strangers to long-drawn out fights with creatures who were both strong and clever and wanted to take over the world, but she suspected the long, 7 years of peace had gotten to her head. And if it was true, that Vegeta had finally met his match, she wasn't sure if she would be able to go on. It was hard to imagine a life without someone you were so used to and literally connected to in the strongest way possible. Of course she wouldn't have to live without him for long, for they still had the Dragonballs to wish him back, but any kind of intermission of their love seemed like a cruel way to live.   
  
Chichi seemed to sense her worry and gently touched her friend's shoulder with a look of compassion and sympathy. She knew all too well how she felt. "I'm sure he'll be ok, Bulma. And if he was really in trouble, Goku would intervene, and I'm sure Gohan's there by now, too. I don't think you have anything to worry about."  
  
Bulma chuckled. "The queen of over-reacting tells me not to worry? Isn't this a shocker."  
  
"Over-reacting?" Chichi looked disgusted at the characteristic. "When have I ever over-reacted?"  
  
"Hmm..." Bulma said sarcastically. "How about screaming at Goku when he eats too much. Seriously, Chichi, how can Goku eat too much? How do you know how much 'too much' is for a Saiyan, especially Goku? And what about having a fit when Gohan didn't study 24/7? What do you suspect from a kid? Oh, and then there was the time you got mad at Goten because he didn't wash his hands before dinner. The poor kid was crying his eyes out because you yelled at him for so long. And remember the time you-"  
  
"Alright," Chichi interrupted Bulma. "I get the point.... but I wouldn't call this over-reacting.... not necessarily..."   
  
Bulma shook her head, feeling a little better. "Whatever, Chi." She continued to fly the copter in the same direction for what seemed like hours, but in all actuality it was only about 15 minutes when she spotted two figures clashing against each other in the sky. One was engulfed in red light and the other in golden light, and they were either moving too fast or just weren't clear enough for her to see, because they were blinking in and out of sight so much that at first she thought she was imagining things. She then looked over at a huge mountain ledge and saw several familiar faces, which was the only proof she needed. She turned to Chichi with a look of total victory. "We found them, Chichi!"  
  
Chichi looked equally pleased as they flew a little farther so they could safely land the copter. And as soon as they landed, they both flew out of it and ran over the group of spectators. Chichi instantly ran to Goku and hugged him like he'd been out to war for five years.   
  
"Wh-What are you guys doing here?" Goku asked, slightly startled by his wife's sudden appearance.   
  
"What do you think we're doing here?" Bulma replied. "We're coming to watch the fight." And then, in a more civil, worried tone as she looked around frantically, "Where's Vegeta.... and where's Trunks? Isn't he here?"  
  
Goku looked like a surgeon who was forced to deliver the bad news to a patient's family. "Well... uh..." But he didn't need to finish, for almost on cue Kumberelle and Trunks stopped fighting to catch their breath, and Bulma almost pounced on Goku for letting her "only son fight that sick freak". She was cut short though when she finally saw Vegeta, crouched in his small cage of fire. She gasped and almost fell to her knees because of the impact of the sight, like the wind had been knocked out of her. Luckily, Goku was able to catch her with his quick reflexes, after he detached Chichi, of course.   
  
"What... what... what's going on?" Bulma looked like an orphan as she looked up at Goku with frightened eyes, and then she realized the bite mark on her neck, which symbolized her bond with Vegeta, was throbbing with pain. It made her really believe that Vegeta was in trouble. "I don't understand, Goku. Why is Vegeta... and why is Trunks... what the hell is going on?!" She was shaking him now, and Gohan was silently sorry for his father, although he never offered to help calm the hysterical woman who'd just arrived. By then, the fight had started back up again so no one had time to worry about what was going on in the stands, but rather what was going on in the arena.   
  
~*~  
  
"What's the matter, Kumberelle?" Trunks taunted when he saw a slight trickle of blood run down her lip, compliments of his sturdy punch to her mouth. "Too much for you?"  
  
Kumberelle growled and charged at him, extending her fist as far back as it could go. She effectively punched him in the stomach, sent an uppercut to his jaw, and knocked him to the ground with a kick to his head. And once again, blinded by fury and frustration, she began to charge up a huge, red ki blast. She fired it down to the spot she thought Trunks had landed on, but was startled to feel a slight tap on her shoulder. She turned around and indeed looked horrified. There wasn't a way he could be that fast, could there?  
  
"Trying to kill me with that blast?" He sounded defensive and as if he were accusing a child of eating the last cookie when she wasn't supposed to. "It's not nice to try and kill children, they have their whole lives to live."   
  
She looked startled, and she really was. That quote instantly brought forth the image of her father smiling at her and whispering his last words to her, before he was killed by King Vegeta. It was true... children did have their whole lives to live.... was that why her father risked his life so that she could live? She was sure if she had another chance she would be just like Trunks, she would die for the sake of her father.... family meant everything right?.... So why was she trying to deprive this child of his father? But that was different, wasn't it? Once again she was too distracted to notice that Trunks had resumed in the art of kicking her ass and she was pummeled to the ground right beside her spaceship.... the same one that the king ordered her to be put on... right before Frieza destroyed her home planet... Frieza... the man, or thing, that killed her mother.... the whole reason why her mother escaped and met her father.... and then they both died protecting her.... they died... they died.... Why? Why did they have to be killed so senselessly? For not one good reason at all, just for the will of power-hungry leaders who wanted to prove their supremacy... Why was she fighting Vegeta again? Holy hell was she confused.   
  
"Why are you distracted Kumberelle?" Trunks tried to look innocent, but it was hard to accomplish with that determined look in his eyes that made him look wise beyond his 8 years. "You look as if you have a guilty conscience."  
  
- Should I have a guilty conscience?- She asked herself as she watched Trunks advance on her with unseeing eyes. - What do I have to feel guilty about? I'm not doing anything wrong. I wanted to bring Vegeta into my world to do some good, to make it worth something, maybe. Even if it involved royalty, it would've been a start to rebuilding the Saiyan race like it should've been. But now.... now that he so adamantly chose to defend that little Earth bitch it's become personal. I have to show him that I'm better than he is, that the blood of a decorated general is much stronger than that of a wimpy king. It's my duty to prove... my.... my supremacy... Oh Dende... I've become... no, I'm nothing like them. I'm totally different... but how?-  
  
And as Kumberelle continued to debate about it, Trunks punched and kicked and dragged and overall beat the living snot out of her without her actually realizing it. It wasn't until her head slammed on a rock that she noticed what was going on, and she looked up at Trunks with a very frightened look. She knew the determined look of a child trying to defend their father's honor too well... she'd seen herself before... and she was actually trying to take away the one person this child could possibly relate to. What was she doing? What was she thinking? And yet, why was she allowing herself to feel this threatened and guilty by mere words spoken by a child?  
  
Keeping that last question in mind, she charged at Trunks and tried to punch him, but she almost gasped when she noticed something about her fist. The red light... it was gone. She had changed back.  
  
~*~  
  
"Wow," Bulma seemed to be a little better now, after seeing quite clearly the job her son had accomplished in the fight. It was quite obvious that something was brewing inside Kumberelle that Trunks had started and was keeping her from focusing, although she didn't know what. The only people that really knew were Trunks, Vegeta, Goku, and Piccolo, and the rest of the Z fighters were left with the impression that Trunks was a damn good fighter for 8 years old.   
  
"Nice judgment, Goku," Krillin commended him with a pat on his back. "Looks like Trunks really can handle himself out there."  
  
"Yeah," Piccolo agreed. "Nice judgment, Goku." A look passed between the two that only they knew the meaning of, and each person was pleased by the unique plan that Trunks had formulated.   
  
Meanwhile, Bulma was trying her best to communicate with Vegeta. She just wanted to tell him a few crucial things that she knew he already knew, but it never hurt to say them. She couldn't penetrate the block for the life of her, however, and she was becoming so frustrated that she was ready to cry. Vegeta knew too well how to block something effectively, especially their bond, and she suspected correctly that he was too anxious and nervous to think straight, let alone to talk to her. But she felt a serious need to speak with him, to just hear one word so that she could be put at ease just a little bit.... but she had no such luck.   
  
~*~  
  
By now, Vegeta was kneeling in the cage and Trunks was working overtime at trying to break Kumberelle down. When he thought he was getting somewhere, she would bounce back up with a fresh wave of determination, but she no longer had her red glow or the power she gained from it, so she was much easier to batter now. And although he didn't know it, the absence of this quality actually diminished her self-esteem. But not enough for her to give up just yet.   
  
The battle was nowhere on Vegeta's mind, however. The outcome certainly mattered on his part, for it was up to Kumberelle to make the cage of fire disappear. More than ever he thought she was a "cheap-shot artist", but that was more than evident. Now all he wanted to do was talk to the other woman that was ever on his mind, the woman he vowed to spend the rest of his life with.   
  
He knew that she was going to arrive because he felt her ki a mile away. And he wanted to talk to her more than anything. Her voice gave him a slight sense of contentment, especially in a situation like this one. Of course he'd never admit this to anyone, but Bulma knew it of course, and one of the many things he liked about her was the fact that she was understanding of his complex nature.... most of the time.   
  
Now it would seem like an easy task to do, all he'd have to do was "unlock" the block he'd put on their mental communication and simply call out to her, but he didn't want her to sense how panicked he was. Well, it wasn't panic, per se, it was more like the fear that he would die spending not enough time appreciating the few good things life handed him and instead dwelling on the innumerable bad things that happened to him. It was something that often caused his anger towards Kakarott. He'd think about all of the times Kakarott surpassed him in power instead all of the times he was patient and willing to train under his rules and the fact that he actually spared his life once when he could've easily killed him. But that was Kakarott, and Bulma and his son were an entirely different matter.   
  
Swallowing his pride, however, he cleared his throat and reached out to Bulma with his mind. ~ Woman? Can you hear me?~  
  
~ Vegeta?~ She sounded startled, with good reason.   
  
~ Who else speaks to you in your mind?~  
  
She couldn't help but smile at the familiar harshness of his raspy voice. ~ What's going on Vegeta? Why are you trapped and why is Trunks fighting Kumberelle?~  
  
~ It's kind of a difficult story to understand. Kumberelle used her telekinesis to create this cage and trapped me here, and Trunks intends on freeing me by fighting her. ~  
  
~ How is that difficult to understand?~  
  
Vegeta smirked and moved his head down slightly when he felt the heat of the fire a little too close for his liking. ~ Trunks is trying to get to her by using words more than fighting skills, that's why it's hard to understand. Kumberelle is a really intricate person, and it's a wonder Trunks noticed her weaknesses.~   
  
~ Oh... well, I'm making Goku kill her if she does anything to hurt my baby.~ The typical cry of defense from a mother.  
  
~ Eight years is a pretty old baby.~  
  
~ Smart ass. You know what I mean.... Anyway, Vegeta, I have to tell you something.~  
  
He looked a little afraid at what was to come. ~ And that is?~  
  
~ I love you. Try to stay on for me and Trunks. We need you here. We all need you here.... Dende, Vegeta, I don't know what I'd do without you...~  
  
Vegeta smirked. ~ You'd probably have a heart attack without someone to bitch at all of the time.~  
  
~ Vegeta, I'm serious.~ And he knew she meant it by the tone of her voice.   
  
~ So am I. And I'm serious too when I say I feel the same way about you.~   
  
- Typical of Vegeta to only admit things like this through telepathy.- ~ I'm glad, Vegeta. That's all I wanted you to know.... be careful...~  
  
~ You too... Bulma...~ Once again, it was like he was forced to say the name, as if it brought pain to his lips, and Bulma smiled as a tear ran down her face. (A/N: Damn am I corny...)  
  
~*~  
  
Kumberelle fell to the ground, for about the millionth time that day. Even she was surprised that she had this much energy to go on, but like her first Saiyan opponent of the day, she wasn't about to give up. There was no question about it. She would fight until the very end... or would she? Now, she wasn't quite sure of anything. She wanted to kill this child and his father and possibly every bystander up on that damn mountain ledge. But there was another part of her that she had been "cursed" with that made her want to just get into her spaceship and fly away. But Trunks' words made her fear that spaceship... it brought back memories she had thought she left behind. And every time she caught a glimpse of it, she felt her heart swell with pain because of the memories it conjured. And if she actually killed all of them, now she would be haunted by the fact that she had killed the one and only Saiyan she looked up to (besides her parents) and his family because of her selfish actions. But that was what a Saiyan was about, right? Fighting until the end? Proving dominance over those lesser beings? She'd been doing that for years now, killing people and eradicating their entire race and planet.... the same thing she hated Frieza for. Now a new word had been introduced to her vocabulary: hypocrite.   
  
All these thoughts ran through her head at the speed of light, sent there to torment and corrupt her mind until it was a mass of incomprehensible words and broken thoughts. She felt like she was going crazy, and perhaps she was, which was all the more reason to evacuate this area and go find another place to think, to sort out her thoughts and get her mind back on track. And as she thought this, Trunks watched her face contort into a million expressions, and he was convinced that she was losing her mind. It made him smile and sit back with satisfaction while watching her on the ground. Even Vegeta had to raise an eyebrow and smirk. It was a gratification only a Saiyan could get out of battle.   
  
"Had enough yet, Kumberelle?" Trunks asked, his voice as hardened as his father's. The sound his voice made seemed to snap her out of her trance, and she sat up quickly to stare at him, her face now blank. Trunks walked slowly toward her so that he was talking directly into her face. "Can I ask you a question, Kumberelle?" He looked more childlike now, but she didn't appear to be moved by his innocence. Instead her face hardened and she raised an eyebrow, but didn't reply. "Why is it that you want to kill my father?"  
  
She looked puzzled for a moment then spoke softly, "It was he who proposed the battle, not I."  
  
"But you didn't have to go through with it..."  
  
"I did," She straightened her back out as if to prove she had some small thread of pride left. "A Saiyan doesn't turn down a fight. It's about pride."  
  
"I see," Trunks stroked his chin a little. He sounded like a prosecutor on a big case, and his victory would save his client from condemnation, and in a way, it was true. "So tell me, Kumberelle, why is it that you wanted to come here in the first place?"  
  
Kumberelle looked angry by the question. "You know why. You were there when I explained my entire life story."  
  
"That may be, but please, clarify this for me."  
  
Kumberelle sighed loudly. "I wanted to bring him to this piece of shit planet that I found in another galaxy and have him rule it with me."   
  
"Rule it with you?" He looked intrigued, but he really was pleased with how this was going. "Sort of like royalty?"  
  
"Yeah..." She spoke too soon and realized her mistake too late.   
  
"Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but did I hear you give a speech about how royalty is stupid or something like that?"   
  
Kumberelle sighed again. "Yes... you did..."  
  
"So then, why did you want to be royalty? Wasn't it royalty that killed your father? Why would you want to be like that?" He decided to cut to the chase, for it would produce a greater effect, he predicted.   
  
And he was right. Kumberelle was back to panicking and her mind was now back to the disoriented organ it was before. She couldn't even remember why she wanted to do it now. But then it came to her like a bolt of lightning, and she simply blurted out, "Power."  
  
"Power, huh?" Trunks repeated. "And please explain to me what power has also brought to your life?"  
  
- A miserable existence full of planet destruction... it cost me my parents... it's really done nothing for me... and I've been too blinded by power to even realize it. What the hell have I been doing all these years? Oh, this is so confusing.- In a way, she was thankful that Trunks made her realize how wrong she was, but in a more overriding way, she was angry. She was angry at him for causing all this bafflement and disorder in her brain. Before she came here, she had been perfectly on track with her life. And now, in just a few days, her life had been turned upside down and stomped on. And she was ultimately pissed about it.   
  
She lunged forward at Trunks and punched him. He was startled, but not thrown off balance, and now he was suddenly worried that his plan had backfired. And as they punched, kicked, and blocked, he glanced over his shoulder and saw his father practically laying down in the cage.   
  
"Hurry up, boy!" Vegeta was finally getting impatient now that his space was extremely diminished.   
  
In answer, Trunks punched Kumberelle so hard that she flew back down to the ground. He opened his hand to form a ki blast, and spoke in such a low and icy tone that it could make a chill run down one's spine. "Let my father go now, or I will see to it that you die a horribly painful death." A golden ball began to form in his palm as Kumberelle stared at him with hardened eyes. He didn't wait for her to reply, he shot the blast straight at her, but she disappeared and reappeared in the sky.   
  
Trunks was about to follow her, but something interesting was happening. She was holding her head in her hands and her body was flickering from a translucent glow to a red glow. Her tail was moving wildly behind her, and he wondered if she was going crazy like he wanted her to, or if she was starting to change again.   
  
~*~  
  
"That doesn't look good..." Videl whispered with a worried look on her face.   
  
"I'm not so sure about that," Gohan told her. "Her ki doesn't seem to be rising, so she's probably not changing. She looks like she's having a breakdown as a matter of fact. But then again, there's no telling with her. She might be performing another weird technique."  
  
"I'd go with the other theory," Piccolo's voiced boomed from behind them. "She's breaking down. But the thing we have to worry about is if she'll actually explode in anger or if she'll back down and surrender."  
  
Everyone looked frightened at the prospect of her blowing up with anger, but they were all afraid to say it, some for fear of getting Bulma worked up again and some for fear that they'd jinx themselves.   
  
"C'mon, Trunks," Bulma whispered to herself. "Please save him..."  
  
~*~  
  
Kumberelle continued to flicker red around her entire body and now she started to shake her head violently. In her mind, there were flashes of every possible thing she could think of. She saw visions of her childhood... her mother... her father... her parents' deaths.... every single horrified face she had destroyed in her lifetime... sights of Vegeta she'd seen for the last few years... She was definitely going crazy. And now she was determined to end it. She was determined to stop living her life the way it was. She wasn't going to live on the thirst of power. She wasn't going to live by the standards of her race that was long destroyed. She was tired of it. She wanted out.   
  
Finally, she stopped. She straightened out and looked calmer than she had when she had first arrived. She looked down at Vegeta and with a single flash the cage was gone. She saw him stand up with a look of obvious surprise, and she simply smirked, the facial expression he would always remember of her. She looked down at Trunks and at Bulma and the rest of them, and silently hoped that Vegeta never turned out like his father. And lastly, she looked at her spaceship. The spaceship she had left her planet on and the spaceship she used to come to the last planet she'd ever see. It was funny how life worked. And with a last sigh, her tail dropped down limply and she powered up as high as she could go and as quickly as she could, causing a blinding flash of light to engulf her body and drain her of her soul.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
How'd you like it? Were you expecting that at all? I had this ending mapped out before I even started, so I hope it was up to your satisfaction. There will be about one or two more chapters, I haven't decided yet, and then this thing is finished. Gone for good.   
  
Next chapter: The Z warriors pick up the pieces, per se, after the end of the battle, and Bulma decides to take Kumberelle's ship to use for research. And meanwhile, the gang have to say goodbye to a long time friend and hero for another time. I'm not sure what's to become of the Gohan and Videl situation, but it'll get resolved here shortly. 


	11. Chapter 10

Hello, my friendly readers. Here goes the next chapter to the soon-ending "A Prince's Past". Sorry for the delay of this chapter. School and personal things have conflicted with my writing time, but never fear! I will never let you people down. Enjoy this chapter!  
  
Special thanks to reviews from:  
DBZ Fanfiction Queen  
Furea  
Starlit  
vegeta's little princess  
Anime Writer Karica  
  
Disclaimer: I am smart. I am dumb. I am what you can and cannot see. But what I am not, my friends, is the owner of DBZ.   
A dust storm the size of Canada suddenly appeared after a huge explosion, leaving the bemused party of about 11 of the Z-warriors fighting to see and wonder what was going on. All they knew was that Vegeta had been released from his cage of fire and Kumberelle had risen to the sky, but in the midst of their celebration that Vegeta was ok, there was an explosion and everything was fuzzy and swarming with rock dust and smoke. Bulma was near tears, fearing that her husband had perished in the explosion that seemed to come out of nowhere, but when the looming cloud of smoke finally disappeared, Bulma saw that he was in front of her, holding her and shielding her from the debris floating in the air. She'd never felt so relieved in her life, and she immediately brought her arms around Vegeta's neck and kissed him, laughing and crying at the same time, happy as hell that he was ok.   
  
"Calm down, woman," Vegeta told her, looking disgusted and a little embarrassed by the sudden act of affection from his wife. "Nothing to get too excited about." He looked down at his son, who he'd also scooped up in just the nick of time and who was looking around with a very confused expression. "After all, our son had everything under control."  
  
"Yes, he did," Bulma agreed and smiled tenderly at both men in her life.   
  
"What happened, Dad?" Goten asked, as he rubbed his eyes and looked into the now clear sky.   
  
"I'm not sure, Goten," Goku told him honestly. He was just as confused as Goten was.   
  
"Where's Kumberelle?" Krillin asked to no one in particular. Everyone was looking around for the enemy like a Saiyan looks for a meal, which is very extensively.   
  
"She's gone," Piccolo said without hesitation, and he looked as though the explosion had no effect on him.   
  
"Well we figured that one out, Mr. Know-It-All," Vegeta said in his normal smart ass tone, and made Bulma smile to be able to hear his nasty comments again. "What happened was that she self-destructed."  
  
"Why?" Gohan asked curiously.   
  
"I can answer that one, for it was my plan that put her up to it," Trunks looked even more cocky and victorious than his father had ever looked. "You see, I made her feel so guilty by what I was saying that she couldn't handle it. She didn't want to kill Dad like so many of those people she hated would have, like Frieza and King Vegeta, so she just went BOOM! Adios, amigos. She's gone." He smiled wickedly, arrogance evident on his features. He was extremely proud of himself, with good reason. After all, he did save his father's life, although he had to admit, he didn't expect her to kill herself over it.   
  
"Impressive, Trunks," Goku commented. The sky was finally clear and everyone could indeed see that Kumberelle was nowhere to be found. Her ki had immediately dispersed as well, and the only clue that she was ever there was the spaceship that sat just beyond.   
  
"What are we going to do about the spaceship?" Krillin asked.   
  
Everyone looked around, wondering the same thing, then Bulma said, "I want to take it. You know, for research."   
  
Vegeta looked at her funny when she said it, but shrugged and simply picked her up and floated down to it with their son so that they could transfer the ship to a capsule to be transported to Capsule Corp. The others simply disappeared, thinking that since the enemy was gone, the show was over and there was no need to stay there. The only remaining people were the Sons and Videl, who was off to the side talking with Gohan.   
  
"Weird..." She said, in regards to the fight. It didn't make sense to her that Kumberelle would simply take her own life after going through the long, tiresome battle, not to mention the whole trip from wherever she was to Earth.   
  
"I know," Gohan said. Even he had to admit that it was an unusual fight.   
  
There was a long pause then, as Videl looked out over the many mountains and boulders with a look somewhat akin to sadness. It made even Gohan sad as he saw the look in the lavender-blue eyes he loved so much, and he gently touched her shoulder with a look of concern.   
  
"Are you ok?" He asked.  
  
Videl looked somewhat startled as she stepped out of her trance. "What? Oh... yeah... I'm fine."  
  
"Does this have something to do with your mother not coming back?"  
  
Videl sighed as she turned away from him. "I don't know... I guess... It is a little hard to digest, after I've been so happy all day and so excited to finally be able to see my mom after so many years. It just makes me so... so damn mad, you know?" Gohan nodded as she continued. "Well, of course you know. The same thing happened to you." Gohan nodded again as he thought of it, his own eyes growing sad. "It sucks, doesn't it?"  
  
"Very much so," Gohan replied, with a glance at his father. He was playing around with Goten while his mother watched them, and it made his heart ache to think about him leaving. "Goten's going to be crushed when Dad leaves.... hell, so am I."  
  
Videl nodded sympathetically. She knew how that felt now more than ever. "But look on the bright side," She said, to lighten his spirits. "At least you have the rest of the month with him."  
  
Gohan smiled. "Yeah, you're right. And that does make me feel a lot better."   
  
Videl smiled and Gohan's heart made one of those familiar leaps into his throat. It made him sick to even think of holding in his feelings any longer, and yet when he finally had the words all worked out in his mind, his brain seemed to have cramp or some sort of temporary deficiency, because he could never work the words from his brain to his mouth. He wanted to scream and possibly blow up something, he was so angry.   
  
"Hey, Gohan," Goku called to his oldest son. "We're about ready to go. You coming?"   
  
Gohan turned his head to Videl. "Do you want to come to my house? We could do some studying or... uh... we could... just talk... uh... if you want." He stumbled over the last few words with a somewhat sheepish expression and a hint of blush on his features, and it made Videl grin. She loved the way he got so embarrassed so easily, and thinking about that made her remember that she had to tell him how she really felt about him before she exploded.   
  
She agreed to come with him to his house, and they all took off into the sky towards the 439 Mountain Area. And unbeknownst to Videl, Gohan was feeling the exact same way.   
  
Later at Capsule Corp....  
The spaceship that Kumberelle used to escape the world of destroying planets and eradicating races to obtain royalty with a Saiyan who lived on Earth lay in pieces all over Bulma's lab. She expected the ship to be just like the one Vegeta traveled to Earth in so long ago, but she noticed that it had a lot of advances to it. There were more controls than Vegeta's ship had, more room to move around in, and the seats were designed to give more comfort during long trips. There was even what looked to be a TV in it, and Bulma almost laughed at how absurd it looked. This was the ship of a very troubled, serious woman, and yet she had a television put in for her amusement.   
  
Vegeta stood over Bulma as she sat in the cockpit, the door already unhinged and laying on the floor. She looked like a fascinated child with a new toy to Vegeta, and he was almost tempted to show amusement on his usually stone-faced features. Almost.   
  
"I don't understand what your fascination is about this piece of shit," Vegeta commented, his arms crossed over his chest. He had just taken a senzu bean and was feeling well enough to object to anything and everything. Not that pain would keep him from it anyway.   
  
"I want to learn more about her," Bulma said. "Maybe figure out more about female Saiyans. I don't know why, but she intrigued me."  
  
Vegeta snorted and simply left the room, going in search of some sort of sustenance. He hadn't eaten all day, and he was long over due.   
  
Bulma just shook her head at him and continued to search the ship for anything that might give some information about the mysterious female Saiyan. There were many compartments in the cockpit of the ship that appeared to be for storage, but were full of nothing but extra gis and fighting paraphernalia.   
  
Bulma gave up her search and started to climb out of the seat. As she set foot on the floor again, she heard a loud sound behind her. She looked at the ship, then down toward her feet and noticed that she must have dragged something out from under the seat with her foot. It was a large, black box, which looked like a toolbox. Curious, Bulma picked it up and set it on her desk.  
  
She pulled a chair up to the desk and opened the mysterious box. Inside were many pieces of paper. She pulled one out and began to read:  
  
Dear Kumberelle,   
  
I know things have been bad between us, but let me tell you right now, that is not the reason why I'm writing you this letter. I am writing it because I feel you have to know how I truly feel about this situation.   
  
I can't stand this anymore. Things have been awkward between us, and I just think we're too different. I'm leaving you.   
  
Please don't make this out to be like I'm deserting you. If I could, I'd stay and help you through this, but I just can't. I hope you forgive me.   
  
- Cauli  
  
Bulma raised her eyebrows and sat the letter down on her desk. So it appeared to be that Kumberelle had some sort of love affair going on in the past, that she didn't lead such a lonely life like she made it out to be. Bulma was realizing that there were definitely some things Kumberelle kept from Vegeta.   
  
She read more letters then, some of them love letters from someone named Cauli, others letters from a man named Lord Tado. One of them read as follows:  
  
Kumberelle,  
  
I am writing you in regards to your latest fighting achievement. You have amazed not only every citizen in the S.S.S., but me as well. As ruler of the S.S.S., I want to appoint you to a special rank of armed forces that I am creating just for you.   
  
Please reply when you have thought over your answer.   
  
- Lord Tado  
  
The rest of the contents of the box included tattered, old photos. Some looked to be of Kumberelle when she was a child and with who Bulma assumed to be her parents, as well as Kumberelle a little older with a man at her side. But what really got Bulma's attention were the letters. All kinds of questions were running through Bulma's head. Like who this Cauli and Lord Tado were, and what the S.S.S. was. And more importantly, why Kumberelle kept that part of her past a well-guarded secret.   
  
Bulma dumped everything that was in the box onto the desk, just so she could get a much better look at the contents. A large, heavy black book dropped down from it, and when Bulma picked it up and looked through it, she noticed that it was a journal of some kind. Some of it was written in English, but most of it was written in some strange language that Bulma didn't understand. She'd never seen it before, and she was so enthralled with the journal's contents that she failed to notice Vegeta standing over her.  
  
"Woman," He said, and Bulma nearly jumped out of her skin. The book went flying out of her hands and into the black box.   
  
"What do you want, Vegeta?" She asked, clutching her fast-beating heart. She suddenly twisted her nose up into a confused expression as she sniffed the air and heard a familiar beeping sound. "What's that smell?"  
  
Vegeta looked almost sheepish as he told her. "I tried to cook..."  
  
Bulma leaped out her seat and followed Vegeta upstairs to the kitchen. The smell was of burning food and the beeping sound was the smoke alarm. The black box, the letters, and the journal were forgotten as she fought to save her kitchen from the flames produced by Vegeta's lack of knowledge when it came to everything but training.   
  
Two Days Later...  
It was a Monday like any other Monday. All the students at Orange Star High School were summoned forth to go to school, most of them against their will. They all walked in, each thinking about different things. Some looked forward to school. Others only looked forward to lunch. And Videl Satan looked forward to doing the thing she was most good at: fighting.   
  
As soon as she entered the school she scanned the hallways for that person who would definitely feel her wrath today. Her hair was cut a lot shorter, so the bitch wouldn't try to grab at her hair, and over her long white t-shirt was a pink top with no sleeves. No one even noticed her without her pigtails hanging at her shoulders, so it gave her a little advantage when it came to springing her fists on Lucy. The preppy bitch wouldn't know what was coming.   
  
Videl followed the sound of giggling girls, thinking that that was a competent trail in finding her opponent, and sure enough, she was right. There was Lucy, her long, dark hair flowing past her shoulders (Videl thanked Dende for that) and her blue eyes so much like Videl's shining as she laughed. She stood with a group of her cheerleader friends, wearing her skimpy cheerleader outfit, with a skirt that made Videl wonder why the dress code banned revealing clothing but allowed the cheerleaders to walk around with half their asses showing. (A/N: Ain't that the truth, though? Haven't you ever wondered that?)  
  
Feeling Videl's eyes on her, Lucy turned around with a somewhat startled expression. She looked Videl up and down like she was a total stranger, and then about five minutes later it registered into her ditzy head.   
  
"Oh, it's you, Videl!" She exclaimed in her high-pitched, annoying voice. "I didn't recognize you. You cut your hair." She gave a somewhat disgusted face of disapproval to Videl's wardrobe change, and glanced at her happy-ass friends who giggled like something was painfully funny. "What do you want?"  
  
Videl couldn't help but smirk, thinking of what the bitch deserved. "Well, Miss Lucy, I'd like to talk to you about what you did, or rather, what you didn't do on Friday."  
  
Lucy blinked her eyes in a clueless manner. "What I... didn't do Friday... I'm sorry, I'm confused."  
  
"What else is new..." Videl muttered. Lucy didn't seem to notice, either that or she didn't understand her comment. "I'm talking about the way you stood Gohan up on Friday."  
  
She did her little blinking move again, and then her eyes widened and she threw her hand to her mouth. "Oh! You mean that."  
  
"What was that all about?" Videl asked angrily.   
  
"Well..." Lucy seemed to be groping for the right words, but just decided to cut to the chase and tell her the truth. "I found something better to do."  
  
"Something better to do?" Videl repeated, her anger growing, then added smugly, "Are you sure you don't mean 'someone' better to do?"  
  
Lucy apparently understood that one, as did her group of friends, who all gasped at the same time with an over dramatic look of displeasure. The stupid little girls were all talking at once, telling Lucy different insults she could fling back at Videl, but she shushed them by bringing her hand up. It was like she was the leader of a mentally challenged herd of animals.   
  
"How dare you talk to me like that?" Lucy retorted, obviously disgusted.   
  
"How dare you treat Gohan like that?" Videl screamed back. As far as she was concerned, Lucy committed the ultimate sin. She betrayed Gohan's trust, and even though Videl wasn't so sure that Gohan minded all that much, or that he even liked Lucy once he got to know her, Videl knew that she had to defend him regardless. After all, he was Gohan. No explanation needed. "For all you know, he could've been heartbroken, he could've been in love with you." - Dende forbid.-  
  
Lucy flipped her hair with a look of conceit. "Everyone's in love with me..."  
  
Videl's face twisted up with anger so quick that her hand literally had a mind of its own and was about to slap Lucy so hard that her brain would work, but she stopped herself, wanting to find the reason for Lucy's selfishness before she beat her ass.   
  
"What is your problem?" Videl asked. It was one of those questions that she could've easily answered with another smart ass remark, but she didn't. "You practically pissed on yourself when I told you Gohan had a crush on you. You begged me to set up a date. You were literally attached to him all week...." Videl was about to continue but paused when she saw the strange look on Lucy's face and the reaction of her friends. They were giving her weird looks, like she'd committed the ultimate act of treason, and Lucy was looking at Videl with an expression that could only be described as pitiful. Her friends looked at her as if she had a disfiguring disease, and Lucy kept glancing at Videl as she was speaking, with a look that was pleading to her to stop talking. Videl would've smirked, if the circumstances had been different, and it made her almost sick to her stomach at what some people did to maintain a certain "image". "Oh, I get it now. Your friends don't approve, so you had to stand him up, instead of being honorable and simply calling it off. That is the most disgusting thing I've ever heard."  
  
Lucy didn't appear to be objecting. Her friends had already cast judgment on her, discussing what she did and if she was allowed to even be friends with them again. Videl saw a new look in Lucy's eyes then, a look that told her that beyond all the make up and the constant smiles that she was human. But that look still didn't change the fact that she'd rather hurt someone than look bad in front of her friends. She might have been terribly stupid, but Videl was sure she wasn't that stupid, that she knew what she was doing all along. And for that reason, Videl was still sure she would enjoy pummeling her to the ground.   
  
"It's people like you that give teenagers a bad name," Videl told Lucy. "And I don't care how pitiful you can make yourself look, it still doesn't change the fact that you did something so stupid. In about five minutes, you're going to see just how it feels to be those people who dream of being people like you, and end up getting shunned by them in the most awful way."  
  
Lucy looked pathetic and confused then. "What does that mean?"   
  
She got her answer when Videl slammed her fist into her face. And again after that. And again, and again, and again, all the while Lucy's so-called friends watched, telling her how bad her face was going to look after that, not bothering to help. It was another look into the life Lucy lead, that there was no telling with people like that if they were true friends, or even real people, or not.   
  
Lucy's screams caught many people's attention, and all at once shouts of "Fight!" were heard in every hallway and it seemed like Orange Star High's student body multiplied a couple hundred times when they all gathered to watch. Some kids were even off to the side taking bets, although it was obvious to anybody that Videl was beating the shit out of Lucy. It wasn't much of a fight. It was a massacre.   
  
Teachers and any and every other authority figure rushed to the scene and pulled the two apart, even though it was Videl that needed the restraint. Lucy was practically a limp, bloody, rag doll by the time the fight was over, Videl looked like a rabid monster as she fought to get out of a big, burly, gym teacher's grasp, and Gohan was leaning against a set of lockers watching. He'd seen the entire thing, heard Videl's speech to Lucy, and surprisingly to him, he didn't feel bad about Lucy getting beat by Videl. He came to school with all intentions of making sure Videl didn't kill Lucy, but after he heard the reason why Lucy stood him up, he didn't blame Videl for her assault. Frighteningly enough, the sight of Videl almost killing someone was quite enjoyable. And it made it even sweeter when he realized that it was all because of him.   
  
Later...  
Videl spent the entire day in the principal's office getting lectured. It seemed like every adult that worked at the school came into the principal's office to berate her for her "reckless behavior". They were all understandably disappointed in her, she was one of the top students at the school and had never been in any sort of trouble like this, but what did they expect? Everyone knew of her temper, and naively assumed that the daughter of Hercule had exceptional strength. Putting two and two together should've told them that there would be fights involving her, and there was, but none nearly as catastrophic as this one. Lucy had so many broken bones that her parents were threatening to sue the Satans, which was the only thing about the entire situation that Videl felt guilty for. The large chunk of her father's money would leave him griping to her for years to come.   
  
"I just don't understand this whole situation..." The principal, Mr. Nark, said to Videl for about the millionth time that day. He was pacing in his office, like he'd been doing all day, and it seemed like the whole school stopped by his office to give their comments on the situation. Most were students who wanted to congratulate her on her job well done (which earned them detentions), and then there were teachers who walked by to shake their heads at her with a look of disappointment. But none of it bothered Videl. She was surprisingly enjoying attention for a change. It was very different from the attention she normally got, when people would kiss her ass in order to say they were friends with the daughter of the man who "saved the world from Cell". This was something she felt she deserved recognition for.   
  
"What else is there to understand, Mr. Nark?" Videl responded to the very irritated man. He was a very nervous-looking man, damn near bald and very short, but yet known for extensive and unnecessary punishment for any offense of the school's rules. It was a frightening combination to most, but not to Videl, of course. "I broke the rules. I... beat up... a fellow student," Videl had to hold in laughter as she said the words. "I should be punished for my crime." It was obvious to Mr. Nark that Videl thought the entire thing was very funny, and it made the whole situation extremely difficult for him.   
  
"There is nothing funny about this, Miss Satan," Mr. Nark said in his small, but determined voice. "You hurt that poor girl very badly. Do you know how many bones you broke? The poor girl will probably need plastic surgery after this."  
  
Videl couldn't contain her laughter any longer. Just explaining the damage Videl had done to Lucy made her stomach almost burst with all the laughter that poured out from her mouth, and she almost felt guilty for how she was feeling. She'd never thought a fight was funny before. Well... not this funny anyway.   
  
Mr. Nark was so outraged with her reaction that he just waved her out of his office with a two week suspension. It didn't bother Videl at all; she'd just make up her work later. And as she walked out of the room, she collided with Gohan almost immediately. Her laughter ceased, but there was still a smile on her face that told Gohan that things had worked out alright. He'd been worrying about her all day. School was almost over by then.   
  
"I assume you got off easy with Mr. Nark?" Gohan asked, feeling relief and joy envelop him.   
  
"Well, not exactly," Videl replied, still smiling. "I got two weeks suspension."   
  
Gohan's eyebrows rose. "Two weeks? Damn... so why are you smiling so much? I didn't know you hated school that much."  
  
Videl shrugged her shoulders. "For some reason, I found this whole thing extremely funny."  
  
Gohan shook his head. "Figures. My best friend is possessed."   
  
Videl laughed. "Well, I wouldn't say that.... but I'm not quite sure..." They both laughed as they walked back to their last class. "So what are you doing on the outside?"  
  
Gohan flashed his watch in her face. "The Great Saiyaman had to make an appearance."   
  
Videl nodded. "I thought so. My watch went off too, but Mr. Nark explained to them that I was being 'held in his office for irresponsible behavior'. What did I miss?"  
  
"Bank robbery. The usual. It only took about 5 minutes, really. Nothing too serious." He turned to her with a grin. "You know, everybody's been talking about you. That was one violent fight. I was sure you killed her."  
  
"You saw it?" Videl asked, then remembered feeling a familiar ki when she was talking to Lucy, but she'd been so angry she hadn't bothered to figure out who it was.   
  
Gohan nodded. "I saw everything... and heard everything..."  
  
Videl looked sympathetic as they stopped in the hallway and she touched his shoulder. "Are you ok?"  
  
Gohan looked surprised and touched by her concern. "Yeah. I'm fine. It didn't bother me all that much, even though I wasn't expecting that to be the reason..."   
  
Videl expected at least mild disappointment, but Gohan didn't seem to be effected by it at all. "It doesn't bother you?"  
  
"A little bit, but no, not really. I wasn't counting on anything coming of that date." In fact, he was hoping quite the opposite.   
  
"I'm not quite sure I understand," Videl said, confused. "I mean, I know she's Lucy and everything, and she can get quite annoying, but I thought you had some kind of feelings for her. If you didn't, why'd you tell me that then?"  
  
"Lack of a better answer to your question," Gohan replied truthfully. "When we were at Bulma's, and you asked me who it was I had a crush on, Lucy was the first person that popped into my head. I didn't know you were going to try and set me up with her."  
  
"So all this could've been avoided if you had just kept your mouth shut?"  
  
Gohan grinned sheepishly, his father's trademark gesture shining through. "Yeah... I guess so..."  
  
Videl shook her head. "The things I do for you Gohan..."  
  
They were almost to the door of their class, when the bell suddenly rang and hundreds of teens came swarming out of every classroom. So, turning on their heels, Gohan and Videl headed in the opposite direction towards their lockers.   
  
"So," Videl turned to Gohan with the mischievous look in her eyes that he knew only too well. "Who is this mysterious girl you have a crush on?"  
  
Gohan grinned, a mischievous look of his own in his eyes. "You'll find out soon enough.... I promise." He turned to leave then, with Videl on heels. He turned around suddenly, much to her surprise, and grinned at her. "By the way, I love the new look." He ran a hand through her now short hair, trying to carve the way it felt into his memory unconsciously. Then, without another word, he left, leaving behind a blushing Videl.   
  
Almost 3 weeks later...  
The clouds seemed to hang awfully low that day. The sky was filled with a grayish tint to it. No cheerful blue. No birds singing. Just a desolate gray, which was directly proportionate to the feelings being exchanged at Capsule Corp.   
  
Goku stood looking at his family and friends, as if trying to permanently carve their faces into his heart. He said good bye to each and every one of them, but of course, it was particularly hard leaving his family.   
  
"I'll miss you, Chichi," Goku said to his wife as tears flowed piteously from her horribly sad eyes.   
  
"I'll miss you too, Goku," She said through sobs. "Why can't you stay?"   
  
Goku sighed. "I wish I could, but I can't. I'm dead, Chichi. There's no coming back."  
  
Chichi nodded as he gently pulled away, and looked down at Goten, who was holding his big brother's hand with a look even more pathetic than that of his mother.   
  
"You really have to go, Dad?" He asked, tears forming in his eyes.   
  
Goku nodded sadly. "Yes, I do, Goten."  
  
"But I like you..." Goten said, as he started to cry.   
  
"I like you too, Goten," Goku said as he brought the 7 year old into his arms. "But I have to leave. We'll see each other again sometime.... I promise..."   
  
Goten nodded as Goku let go of him, and it broke his heart to be leaving the son he'd only known for a month. It was the most difficult thing he had to do, but he had no choice. He was dead, and his life, or rather his afterlife, was meant to be in the Other World.   
  
He stood up in front of Gohan then, and gave his oldest son a long hug and he said his goodbyes. "You take care of your mom and Goten for me..."  
  
"Always," Gohan said as they parted.   
  
"And tell her how you feel..." He whispered so no one could hear, and Gohan knew exactly what he meant.   
  
The witch, Baba, suddenly appeared, signally that it was definitely time for Goku to leave. He nodded to her, and with one last wave, Goku disappeared, gone once again from their lives. Forever.   
  
But as Gohan stared into the gloomy sky later that night, he knew that that wasn't true. They'd meet again. Sooner than anyone thought. He was sure of it.   
  
*~*~*~*~*  
How was that? Review as always. Expect the next chapter sooner than that, but not anytime soon. And review and check out my bio and stuff. It helps. Oh yeah, and in case you haven't noticed, I changed my fanfic name. I am the Angry Black Woman. Well that's it. Review!  
  
Next Chapter: This is going to be relatively short. Gohan and Videl finally come clean with their feelings, and there's going to be a surprise appearance towards the end. Also, Vegeta and Bulma reflect on the things they've gone through along with some other stuff that can be thrown end to tie all the loose ends together. This will be the last! 


	12. Chapter 11

Here goes the end of my first fic. Hope you enjoy it, but if you don't, oh well.   
  
Special Thanks To Reviews From:   
  
Furea / Toshi Ishimi- Very special thanks to you, you've been with me from the start.   
  
darkgirl  
  
DBZ Fanfiction Queen  
  
vegeta's little princess  
  
PwYnCeSs  
  
Disclaimer: Even at the end of the fic, I still have no ownership of nothing. Not a damn thang!  
  
The Lookout  
  
"Hey, Dende. I got a huge favor to ask you."  
  
Dende looked at his childhood friend as he attempted to decipher his problem before he allowed Gohan to ask it. He was usually good at that, but he hadn't been paying attention to Gohan lately enough to be able to deduce his predicament. He'd been keeping his eyes on something else that caught his attention more than that of Gohan's teenage situations. He might have been God, but he certainly couldn't watch everything at once.   
  
"Go for it, Gohan," Dende told him as he rubbed his green chin. "Ask away."  
  
Piccolo appeared out of nowhere, intrigued by his former student's arrival at the Lookout. He hadn't been there in months, and though Piccolo wouldn't admit it, he started to miss hearing his voice. "What's up, kid?"  
  
Gohan let out a nervous breath. It was foolish to be nervous, he knew, for these people had been his friends for as long as he could remember. You could always count on a friend when you were in need right? The only problem with this was it was a long-shot and he knew Dende's chances of performing a "favor" of this magnitude were mighty slim. God or no god, some things were just out of his reach.   
  
"Well," Gohan began. "It's sort of... complicated... but... It's about Videl."   
  
Piccolo smirked. "I should've known... What exactly do we have to do with Videl?"  
  
Gohan mentally-noted that he had actually asked Dende for the favor, not Piccolo, but left that thought in his head. "Well her birthday is tomorrow and I wanted to do something special for her, only I'm not so sure I can really do it..."  
  
Dende raised an eyebrow, more confused than intrigued. "What exactly are you planning to do?"  
  
Gohan spilled the beans then, telling him all about the rendezvous he had planned and even how he hoped Videl would be his afterwards. Piccolo had dismissed himself after awhile, feeling that he had no place in teenage affairs, but Dende was more than willing to help out his buddy in any way that he could. He wanted to see Gohan happy and knew how well a match Gohan and Videl would make.   
  
"I'd be glad to help," Dende smiled at the Saiyan. "What exactly do you want me to do?"  
  
Gohan grinned triumphantly. "Well... seeing as how you're the Guardian of Earth..."  
  
Capsule Corp.  
  
Trunks looked up at the sky from his post in a tree, watching all the clouds zoom by. He'd been doing that a lot lately, sitting deep in thought without really knowing why or what he was thinking about, but somehow it all related back to the battle months before.   
  
He dreamed of it too. He saw his father struggling with Kumberelle so clearly, and remembered each time the tables turned. He saw the sword she'd swiped him with, but in the end it didn't do her a bit of good. He saw the way her eyes would change to red and how her appearance would do a complete 180. The cage of fire and his desperate attempt to save his father. He even remembered all the emotions that tumbled inside of him, the panic he felt, the pride, his uncertainty, and the way he felt when the battle was finally won. He still couldn't believe she'd just exploded like that. Killing herself. And more importantly that he had caused it.   
  
At first he felt no remorse. He was only 8 and faced with a terrible problem: how to stop his father's assailant. It was only natural for him to want to protect Vegeta at every cost. So Kumberelle died because of him. So what? Who was she to him?   
  
But later he found that maybe he was a lot older in mind than in body. He felt guilty for the way he made her feel, how useless she must have felt to have taken her own life. He talked about it with his mom one day and she explained that she probably wasn't happy anyway. That might have been the case. What he worried about was the possibility that it might not have been.  
  
He sighed again. If his father had known the way he was feeling he would've told him he was being foolish. Cowardly. That a true Saiyan feels no remorse after a battle. Only pride, victory, and power. The same things that drove Kumberelle insane when not achieved to perfection. When thought about in that way, Trunks assumed maybe not being a true Saiyan helped in more important ways.   
  
Vegeta often thought about the battle too. He had dreams about it that were far more intense than Trunks'. Dreams that abruptly shifted from Kumberelle's exile of the Saiyan planet to her death. Visions of her parents' death and how she was affected by it. How her life must have been after she was left as an orphan floating through space. How her mind must have been controlled by the ancient Saiyan teachings and principles to the point where they destroyed her.   
  
Looking at Kumberelle made him see how many faults there were in his original state of mind. When he first came to the planet Earth, hell-bent on destroying it, all he cared about was his pride and his power. Proving to be the best in the universe. But then Kakarrot showed up and it was all downhill from there. He had an adversary he was destined to beat, but never could. Though he hated to admit it, Kakarrot was a big contributor to his super-strength. He gave Vegeta the drive to get better. He was almost as important to beat in Vegeta's mind as was his princely pride.   
  
But now he had changed. He cared about people. He had a family, just like the one he felt he would always hate. And though he often questioned if that was what he really wanted to be like, or if he wanted to go back to being heartless again, now he realized he wouldn't have traded it for the world. He had an example of both lives, from Kumberelle and Goku. Looking at how both ended, he had to side that the better of the two had to lie with Kakarott.   
  
On his way to the Gravity Room, he spotted Trunks jumping down from a tree in the yard. Their eyes met and held, childlike blue ones to adult black ones. For some reason Vegeta could feel what his son was feeling and reached out to touch his shoulder. That one gesture, though it caught him by surprise, told Trunks everything he needed.   
  
They parted ways, each going in opposite directions. Vegeta smiled to himself, feeling a new kind of victory he'd never felt before, and Trunks walked away with a lighter spirit and a lighter heart.   
  
The Next Night...  
  
The Son House was completely deserted, all except for the very nervous and very excited teenager, Gohan. His hand shook uncontrollably as he ran it through his hair and sat on the couch, rocking back and forth like a dope fiend that needed his fix. It was bad enough that he hadn't slept in months, but over the last 24 hours he had devised the perfect, yet most intricate plan he'd ever thought of for Videl's birthday. And then there was the part of getting it all organized and exactly the way he planned it. There was a lot of yelling, screaming, negotiating, promising, and downright pleading, but he got his plan all worked out and it was perfect. But that did nothing to calm his nerves. He was as jumpy as a first-time criminal in an overpopulated prison. (A/N: Now that's pretty jumpy!).  
  
The last few details were simple. He'd already made plans with Videl. She was to arrive at 7. He got his mother to leave, and Goten was more than willing to spend a night with Trunks. So everything was perfect and right on schedule.   
  
There was nothing special about his plans. Nothing special around the house. No decorations or anything. He knew Videl well enough to know that she didn't like big celebrations. She always said they made no sense to her, since she couldn't spend them with the person she wanted to the most, her mom. Gohan's present wasn't even in view, wrapped in pretty foil like gifts were traditionally. His present wasn't of the kind that needed wrapping.   
  
He grinned to himself, allowing himself to feel that twinge of arrogance he hardly ever allowed himself to feel. Arrogance just wasn't a Gohan-like trait, but even he knew congratulations were in order for this one. And the look on Videl's face...  
  
He jumped when he heard a knock on the door, immediately followed by the angry voice of Videl Satan. He smiled as he walked to the door, breathing in deeply and exhaling just before he opened it. But his breath caught when he saw her, like it usually did. She was actually wearing a shirt that fit, though the jeans were beyond baggy. But it didn't matter to Gohan. She could've walked in wearing an overcoat covered in shit and he'd still be mesmerized.   
  
"Are you going to let me in?" Videl asked with an eyebrow arched. "Or are you just going to stand there staring at me?"  
  
He grinned, and of course, rubbed the back of his head. "My fault. Come in, Videl."  
  
She did just that and immediately found a seat on the couch. He sat down next to her and noticed a strange look on her face, like she was searching for something.  
  
"Why the hell is it so quiet in here?" She asked.   
  
Gohan smiled. "Goten went to Trunks' and my mom went to some.... place... with Bulma."  
  
"Some place? You don't know where she went?"  
  
"To tell you the truth, I could care less. I've got more important things on my mind."  
  
Videl looked taken aback, but amused. "My, my... I don't think I've ever heard anything like that come out your mouth."  
  
Gohan's eyebrows knit and left a crease on his forehead. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm so used to careful, considerate, sweet Gohan..."  
  
Videl expected him to blush, but he surprised her, as well as himself, when he simply smirked. "You think I'm sweet?"   
  
Videl ignored him and cut to the chase. "So where's my birthday present at?"  
  
Gohan grinned again, looking more like himself. "Well, first, let me give you my mom's present." He reached behind him and grabbed the first gift, handing it to Videl. The look on her face was priceless.   
  
"What the hell?" She looked completely horrified. She held a book in her hands, and through gritted teeth she read the title, "All You'll Ever Need To Know On .... Teen Parenting." She looked over at Gohan, who was laughing next to her. "What the hell does this mean?"  
  
"It means my mother is a crazy woman with an unhealthy obsession and some weird idea that we're going to be having her grandchildren in the near future."  
  
"Well, I already knew that..."  
  
Gohan continued to laugh and Videl threw the book at him, which hurt the book more than it did him.   
  
"Where is my real present?" Videl asked with mock annoyance.  
  
"I'll get to that," Gohan said. "Right now I have to give you Goten's present."  
  
Gohan had to go to his room for this one, and came back seconds later with a piece of black construction paper. Videl's name was painted on it, obviously using fingers instead of a brush, and there was a picture of birthday cake, with the words "I love you, Videl" painted everywhere. On the bottom, "Happy Birthday" was painted, along with "From Goten", in the neatest way a 7 year old was capable of. Videl smiled as Gohan watched her, now growing impatient to reveal his gift.   
  
"How sweet," Videl said. "I got to thank that kid next time I see him."  
  
"He asked me how to spell your name a million times," Gohan told her. "And he was so excited about it, he spent all night doing this, making sure 'it was right.'"  
  
"Well you can tell him I loved it."  
  
Gohan smiled again, and she turned to him all of sudden, and their eyes met and held. The intense look in his eyes made Videl almost nervous, for she'd never seen a look like that before. It was his love for her shining through his dark eyes, and his hopes and dreams for a future built around her.   
  
"So..." Gohan broke the eerie silence. "Do you want to see what I got you?"  
  
She nodded her head violently, but as he got up, they were both startled by a sudden appearance at the front door.   
  
"Hey, Gohan," A man in an orange and blue fighting gi said as he stood in the doorway. "Did your mom leave without me?"  
  
"Goku?" Videl asked as she stood up, confused. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I got wished back," He replied with a grin on his face, glancing at his son. There was no halo hovering above his head of black hair. He was alive alright. Alive and probably hungry.   
  
He noticed the annoyed look on Gohan's face and asked, "Did I interrupt anything?" There was a slight insinuation in his voice and Gohan shook his head.   
  
"Nope... and yeah, Mom did leave without you."  
  
"Damn... Well, bye!"  
  
Goku departed quickly and Videl turned to Gohan with a confused look. "I thought you couldn't wish him back?"  
  
"So did I," Gohan replied. "But I was able to pull some strings and I talked him into to coming back." He grinned again. "Actually, he helped me with your present too."  
  
She smiled widely and almost jumped up and down. "Where is it?"   
  
Gohan walked over to the door and called out to someone to come inside. Videl was confused, but that didn't last very long. Coming through the doorway was a person who, like Goku, was recalled from the afterlife. Coming through the doorway behind Gohan was the person Videl thought she'd never see again. She couldn't believe it. Gohan had given her the best gift she'd ever received. Gohan had wished back her mother.   
  
"Oh my Dende..." Videl muttered, still trying to digest it all. It wasn't at all what she expected. She expected the beautiful Angel Satan to be dressed in white, with a blinding white light glowing around her when she saw her again. But she wasn't. She was just as alive as she always was. No halo. No blinding light. Just a smiling face and eyes that twinkled like lavender-blue stars.   
  
"Hi there, Videl," Angel said, her voice sounding almost exactly like Videl's. "Missed me?"  
  
"You have no clue," Videl replied as she launched herself into her mother's arms. "I can't believe you're here."  
  
"Neither can I," Angel replied. She glanced at Gohan with a warm smile. "You've got one devoted, caring, and persistent boy over here."   
  
"I sure do," Videl said as she pulled out her mother's embrace and looked at Gohan. He was smiling too, and she walked over to him and hugged him as well. "Thank you, Gohan. You have no idea what this means to me." He was about to reply, but she surprised everyone in the room, including herself, when she stood on her toes and kissed him. Not a kiss on the cheek like she'd done before, but a kiss on the lips.   
  
Gohan was so startled by the sudden action that he just stood there wide eyed while Angel Satan laughed at him and mouthed, "Kiss her back!". He did as he was told, while Angel grinned and left, deciding that they had a lot to talk about once they got over their lip-lock.   
  
It seemed like hours had passed before they parted, though it was only a few more seconds. Gohan was still wide eyed and dazed, and Videl had this sort of confused look, like she was in dream.   
  
"Um... uh... Your welcome?" Gohan asked. He hadn't expected to be kissed, though he hoped he would be.   
  
"I uh... I didn't mean to...," Videl stuttered.   
  
"You didn't mean to what?" Gohan asked, looking almost hurt. "Kiss me?"  
  
"Yes," She replied, then thought better of it. "No... I'm lying... Gohan we need to talk."  
  
He followed her as she seated herself on the couch with a serious, intense look on her face that made him slightly nervous. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear what she wanted to tell him, but considering she gave him that kiss, maybe he did want to hear it.   
  
"Listen, Gohan," Videl began. "This isn't exactly easy for me to say, but you know me. I'm not one to beat around the bush. I like you Gohan. More than I've said I did."  
  
"Well, I'm in love with you," Gohan blurted out. He almost slapped his hand over his mouth, for that was more of a thinking-out-loud sort of thing more than what he actually meant to say.   
  
"Really?" Videl looked relieved.   
  
"Is that ok?" It was a stupid question, he knew, but he was also very naive and confused in these kind of situations.   
  
Videl smiled and kissed him again, a longer, more passionate kiss than before. "Does that answer your question?"  
  
Gohan nodded, and it was he who kissed her that time. He felt so damn relieved, and stupid at the same time. Who would've thought that all that time, she felt the same way that he did? And all one of them had to do was stop being a chicken and simply fess up, and they would've saved themselves a lot of aggravation. - I guess life is just funny like that sometimes.-  
  
He felt happy with himself again, confident and even a little arrogant, and he couldn't help but hum the familiar tune that was playing in his head.   
  
Videl cut the kiss short and looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "What the hell are you humming?"  
  
The Son grin shined on his face as he replied, "Oh, nothing."   
  
But that didn't stop the words from being recited in his head, as he kissed the woman he loved once more. - Ain't nobody dope as me, I'm just so fresh, so clean...-  
  
Capsule Corp.   
  
The prince of the fallen race known as the Saiyans found himself in an intractable predicament once again. Now the thoughts that were heavy on his mind were to beat the living snot out of the smiling fool in front of him, or to oblige his mate and simply leave him alone. Though pounding him into oblivion would prove to be entertaining, and pretty challenging, it would also cause him to hear the loud, obnoxious voices of the two women near him, and inevitably come across that devilish cooking utensil, otherwise known as a frying pan. If he chose to obey his wife and leave the fool alone, he'd lose out on the fun of a sparring match. When he put it that way, was there really a choice to be made?   
  
He looked across the table in the kitchen at his rival and smirked. "Hey, Kakarott?"  
  
The Saiyan in question stopped stuffing his face and looked up. "What's up, Vegeta?" Unfortunately when he spoke his mouth was still full of food, and the contents sprayed across the table to the person he was speaking to. He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry..."  
  
Vegeta just swiped the crumbs away, looking almost indifferent, though it was obvious he was probably seething. "Anyway.... how about a sparring match?"  
  
Goku's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning, but before he could speak, his wife interrupted him. "Goku is not sparring tonight, Vegeta. He just got wished back and I'd like him intact for a little while."  
  
"And I'd like the Gravity Room intact for more than 3 days," Bulma added. "I fix that thing too much."   
  
Vegeta pretended not to hear the women's objections and called persistently, "Well how about it, Kakarott?"   
  
"Sure!" Goku exclaimed, and before the women could blink, the men were gone and out to the Gravity Room.   
  
"What is it with Saiyans?" Chichi asked her blue-haired friend. "Why the hell do they always have to fight?"   
  
"I don't know, Chichi," Bulma replied. "Some shit about their pride or something... I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention when Vegeta explained it to me."  
  
Chichi laughed. "Why not?"  
  
Bulma looked down at the table and smiled. "I had other things on my mind..."  
  
Chichi threw her hands up. "Ok! Enough said! I get the picture."  
  
Bulma laughed at her. "Why do you always assume it's something sexual?"  
  
"Because I know you."  
  
Bulma smiled again. "Yeah... enough said..."  
  
The room was quiet for a few seconds, and then Chichi spoke, "You know, sometimes I wonder how you can stand Vegeta. He's just so.... so..."  
  
"So Vegeta?"  
  
"Well... yeah..." Chichi looked almost embarrassed for having brought it up. She almost regretted the words. "I'm sorry for how that sounded... it's just..."  
  
"I know," Bulma patted her friend's hand. "I know exactly what you mean, and you don't have to be sorry for saying that. Sometimes I wonder myself."  
  
"So what is it about him that keeps you guys together?"  
  
Bulma smiled again and looked down at her cup of coffee. A million things were swarming through her mind just then. Images of their first encounters, how they bumped heads so frequently and how much she hated him. And then how he softened occasionally when in her presence and revealed things only she knew about him. And then all the battles, the Androids, Cell, and then this recent battle with Kumberelle. She felt the worry and the fright all over again just thinking about. Thinking of Vegeta just threw her into a whirlwind of emotions. Happiness, frustration, anger, sadness, love, and hate. And yet through all that, she knew she'd always be with him.   
  
Coming out of her Vegeta-filled trance, she looked up at Chichi with sparkling blue eyes. "I guess it's just the fact that I know him so well. The fact that no matter what he does, I can usually detect what he really feels. He's a different person around me. It's... sort of hard to explain..."  
  
"No, I think I know what you mean. It makes perfect sense."  
  
The two women exchanged a smiled, but their good mood was soon diminished when they heard a huge explosion coming from outside. They raced out the door and around back to where they thought they heard the explosion, and sure enough, they were right. Surrounding the Gravity Room was a humongous cloud of black smoke. Or at least, it was surrounding what was left of the Gravity Room.   
  
"Oh shit, Vegeta!" Bulma screamed as she hit her husband on the arm. She gave Goku the death glare, who was looking quite sheepish. "How'd you break it this time?"  
  
"It was all Kakarott's fault!" Vegeta replied, pointing to the now very frightened Goku. "He didn't believe that I'd gotten stronger since the last time we fought."  
  
"That's no excuse!" Bulma screamed back. She looked at the remains of the Gravity Room as the cloud of smoke cleared. "And now I suppose you want me to build you another one, as always?" Vegeta simply nodded in answer. "I don't understand you, Vegeta! You do some of the stupidest things sometimes and I'm always supposed to correct them. You make me sick!"   
  
Vegeta looked calmly at her as she turned her blazing blue eyes to his black ones. "But you know you wouldn't have it any other way.... right?"  
  
Slowly her face softened and her scowl changed into a small smile. "No... I guess I wouldn't."   
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Finally... the end of this thing. Sorry it took so damn long, but it's just so hard to work when I have nothing to work with. Sorry if this ending sucks, but better this than another month of nothing, right? Anyway, check out my bio to see potential new stories and perhaps start up a friendship with an existing one. If you really want a good read, the one with the most reviews should do it. I've put a lot into that story... probably more than this one, and for that, I apologize. The concept was just so one-sided and it was only so much I could do with it. I see that now. Anyway, review. Tell me what you like about this chapter, what you hated, and even the strong points of the whole story. I'd like to know. Maybe I'll rewrite this thing and get more reviews. And also, very special thanks to all who reviewed and liked this story. That really means something to me, considering I had the most trouble with this thing. It was my first fic, not my most successful, and the fact that you even liked it at all really means a lot to me. So thank you much, and have a nice life! 


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